IOME 


-,J 


CRN  GROWING 


OL 


^Peterson 


%>  J.  ^,  pa  pbrarg 


5b\9l 


Date  Due 


17304: 


CORN   GROWING 

A  Manual  for  Corn  Clubs 


BY 

ARETAS  W.  NOLAN 

ASSISTANT  PROFESSOR   AGRICULTURAL  EXTENSION, 
UNIVERSITY  OF   ILLINOIS 

AND 

JAMES  H.  GEEENE 

STATE    LEADER,    JUNIOR    EXTENSION    SERVICE, 
UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 


CHICAGO  NEW  YORK 

ROW,  PETERSON  AND  COMPANY 


Copyright,  1917 
ROW,  PETERSON 
AND     COMPANY 


PREFACE 

Whatever  may  be  the  status  of  the  project  system  of 
teaching  other  subjects,  it  is  coming  to  be  quite  gen- 
erally believed  that  the  home  project  offers  one  of  the 
best  methods  for  teaching  elementary  agriculture.  The 
essentials  of  the  home  project  plan  are  as  follows : 

(1)  a  definite,  detailed  plan  for  work  at  home  covering 
a  season,  or  a  more  or  less  extended  period  of  time; 

(2)  it  must  be  a  part  of  the  instruction  of  the  school 
in  agriculture;  (3)  the  parents  and  pupil  should  agree 
with  the  teacher  upon  the  plan;  (4)  the  home  work 
must  have  competent  supervision;  (5)  records  and 
reports  of  time,  method,  cost  and  income  must  be 
honestly  kept  and  submitted  to  the  teacher. 

In  the  study  and  practice  of  a  vocational  subject 
such  as  agriculture,  we  may  distinguish  three  aspects, 
each  involving  distinct  pedagogical  characteristics  and 
special  problems  of  administration.  The  first  includes 
the  concrete,  specific,  or  practical  work,  such  as  the 
actual  making  of  a  garden,  the  raising  of  poultry,  or 
the  growing  of  corn;  the  second  involves  a  study  of 
such  technical  sciences  as  botany,  physics,  chemistry, 
and  the  principles  of  the  agricultural  science  relating 
directly  to  the  subject  of  agriculture  under  considera- 
tion ;  the  third  aspect  includes  such  general  information 
as  the  history,  economic  values,  and  other  interesting 
facts  of  that  particular  phase  of  agriculture  being 
studied.  Doctor  Snedden  states  in  his  "Problems  of 
Secondary  Education/ '  that  the  keynote  of  the  newer 

BUI  3  17304 


4  PREFACE 

education  in  these  fields  is  to  be  found  in  the  devel- 
opment of  facilities  for  obtaining  practical  experience, 
under  conditions  as  nearly  approximating  those  of  the 
actual  vocation  as  can  be  obtained. 

It  is  for  the  purpose  of  making  as  practical  as  pos- 
sible some  of  the  principles  of  scientific  agriculture  for 
the  boys  and  girls  of  the  public  schools,  and  to  give 
direct  vocational  value  to  such  work  that  this  little 
book,  the  first  of  a  series,  was  prepared.  The  plan  is 
to  outline  one  project  in  each  booklet,  supplying  the 
project  directions,  practical  exercises  for  laboratory 
work,  subject-matter  for  study  and  recitation,  and  note- 
book forms  for  accounts  and  records.  The  school  work 
in  elementary  agriculture  for  a  year  could  well  be  based 
upon  one  or  two  of  these  projects,  and  the  boys  and  girls 
doing  the  work  should  be  organized  into  a  club  and 
affiliated  with  the  State  Boys  and  Girls  Club  movement 
through  the  state  leader,  usually  located  at  the  State 
College  of  Agriculture. 

— The  Authors. 


To  the  Teacher 

With  our  changing  social  conditions,  new  duties, 
formerly  delegated  to  the  home,  have  been  thrust  upon 
the  school.  This  has  led  to  the  introduction  of  some 
"real  life"  subjects  into  the  curriculum,  among  them 
agriculture.  It  is  not  possible,  however,  to  get  the 
desired  results  in  teaching  agriculture  by  using  the 
same  methods  used  in  teaching  other  subjects.  The 
teacher  who  attempts  to  teach  agriculture  alone  and 
unaided  in  the  schoolroom  has  not  only  shouldered  a 
heavy  burden  but  is  not  making  the  most  of  an 
opportunity. 

The  business  of  the  school  is  to  help  to  develop  men 
and  women  of  the  right  sort,  not  merely  to  teach  boys 
and  girls  reading,  writing,  and  arithmetic.  If  agri- 
culture is  to  justify  its  place  in  the  curriculum,  it  must 
contribute  something  more  than  mere  facts. 

The  farmer  of  yesterday  was  an  individualist.  He 
went  his  way,  alone.  The  farmer  of  tomorrow  will 
work  in  a  group.  As  a  member  of  a  farm  bureau,  or 
cooperative  association,  he  will  buy  and  sell  in 
cooperation  with  his  neighbors.  Today  he  is  not  alto- 
gether convinced  of  the  necessity  of  such  cooperation. 
The  next  generation  must  learn  it.  The  home  project 
club  work  should  teach  lessons  of  thrift,  application 
and  perseverance,  as  well  as  of  agriculture.  The  club 
members  will  learn  the  benefits  of  group  effort,  and  as 
the  farmers  of  tomorrow  will  be  prepared  to  take  part 
in  the  great  agricultural  movements. 

The  teacher  who  uses  this  method  to  teach  agricul- 

5 


TO  THE  TEACHER 

ture  will  not  only  lighten  his  burden  by  making  every 
home  and  farm  a  schoolroom,  and  every  parent  an 
assistant,  but  he  can,  in  part,  meet  the  argument  that 
the  average  rural  teacher  is  .unprepared  to  teach  agri- 
culture. Every  community  contains  men  who  can  help 
to  teach  agriculture.  They  need  to  be  discovered  and 
given  direction.  The  teacher  ^cannot  be  a  specialist 
in  the  treatment  of  all  of  the  ills,  social  and  economic, 
to  which  the  countryside  is  heir,  but  in  his  capacity 
as  leader  he  can  seek  out  those  who  do  know. 

No  method  or  plan  can  take  the  place  of  a  good 
teacher  and  most  teachers  will  use  their  own  methods 
of  carrying  out  the  details  of  the  club  work.  The 
following  suggestions  may  prove  helpful.  An  advisory 
committee  of  three  or  more  patrons  who  are  corn 
growers  will  be  of  great  assistance.  The  approval 
and  consent  of  the  parents  of  every  pupil  should  be 
secured  and  facilities  for  work  at  home  promised. 
Trips  to  neighboring  farms  may  be  taken  by  an  entire 
school. 

Every  school  should  have  an  "exhibition  day"  when 
school  work  may  be  inspected.  Demonstrations  of 
interesting  phases  of  school  work  by  the  pupils  them- 
selves will  prove  of  interest.  The  corn  exhibit,  corn 
stringing  contests,  and  demonstration  of  testing  seed 
corn  will  be  welcome  features  of  such  an  "exhibition 
day." 

A  resourceful  teacher  will  think  of  many  more  ways 
to  interest  the  community  and  motivate  the  work.  It 
should  be  borne  in  mind  that  this  little  volume  is  not 
like  most  school  books.  Its  contents  must  be  more 
than  studied.  Unless  put  into  practice  on  the  farms 
of  the  community  it  will  have  failed  in  its  mission. 

— J.  H.  Greene. 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Part  One.     Corn   Project  Calendar 11 

Part  Two.     Practical   Exercises 22 

1.  Study  of  the  Corn  Plant 

2.  A  Good  Stalk  from  Which  to  Select  Seed 

3.  Study  of  an  Ear  of  Corn 

4.  Study  of  the  Corn  Kernel 

5.  Preliminary  Study  to  Corn  Scoring 

6.  Scoring  Practice 

7.  Study  of  the  Stand 

8.  Seed  Corn  Racks 

9.  Seed  Corn  Testers 
10.  Shrinkage  in  Corn 

Part  Three.     Corn,  the  Great  American  Cereal 30 

1.  History  and  Importance 

2.  Types  of  Corn 

3.  Life  History  of  the  Corn  Plant 

4.  The  Corn  Plant 

5.  Place  of  Corn  in  Crop  Rotation 

6.  Fertilizing  Corn  Ground 

7.  Plowing  for  Corn 

8.  Testing  Seed  Corn 

9.  Planting  the  Corn 

10.  Cultivating  Corn 

11.  Maturing  of  Corn 

12.  Selecting  Seed  Corn  in  the  Field 

13.  Judging  and  Scoring  Corn 

14.  Storing  Seed  Corn 

15.  Some  Insects  Injurious  to  Corn 

16.  Corn  Products 

Notebook    Questions 59 

Appendix    61 

A   Model    Constitution    for    Boys'    and    Girls' 

Clubs   q\ 

Parliamentary    Practice:    Hints    and    Sugges- 
tions     \   62 

Duties    of    Officers 63 

References  on  Corn 64 

Student's  Notebook 65 

7 


To  the  Pupil 

We  do  not  always  like  to  take  our  school  books 
home.  But  this  little  volume  is  not  like  a  regular 
school  book.  It  has  a  place  in  your  home  as  well  as 
in  your  desk  at  school. 

Perhaps  your  father  or  some  neighbor  has  a  set  of 
farm  books  and  keeps  track  of  how  much  his  corn 
ground  "brings  in"  and  how  much  it  costs  to  fatten 
his  hogs. 

In  following  out  the  plan  of  this  little  book,  you 
are  farming  for  yourself,  in  a  small-  way,  and  keeping 
a  set  of  books.  At  the  end  of  the  season  you  will  know 
your  exact  yield  and  how  much  it  cost  to  raise  your 
crop. 

But  besides  learning  about  this  big  business  of  rais- 
ing corn,  you  will  be  learning  some  other  things  that 
are  useful  in  "life.  Success  is  not  measured  by  the 
number  of  things  that  you  start  but  by  the  number  of 
things  that  you  finish.  The  summer  may  be  hot,  other 
work  may  press,  but  if  you  "stick  to  your  job"  you 
will  not  regret  it  when  fall  comes.  You  will  get  in 
the  habit  of  not  giving  up.  Remember  that  drought 
or  beating  rains  affect  the  farm  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  as  well  as  your  own  of  one  acre. 

Accuracy  is  a  valuable  habit  to  acquire.  Be  sure 
that  your  notes  and  records  arc  accurate.  Mistakes 
may  not   mean  much  now  but  may  cost  you  money 

8 


TO  THE  PUPIL  9 

some  day.  Remember,  too,  that  a  boy  or  girl  who  is 
trying  to  learn  never  wants  for  help  or  friends.  The 
state  club  leader  at  your  agricultural  college,  your 
county  agent  and  county  superintendent  of  schools,  as 
well  as  your  parents  and  teachers,  are  all  interested  in 
you  and  want  to  help  you  succeed.    Good  luck ! 

— J.  H.  Greene. 


PART  ONE 
CORN  PROJECT  CALENDAR 

September 

1.  Organization  of  the  club.  See  plans  in  the 
appendix.  The  class  in  Agriculture,  undertaking  to 
base  its  year's  work  upon  the  home  project,  should  be 
organized  as  directed  by  the  club  plan.  Each  member 
of  the  class  should  become  a  member  of  the  club  and 
plan  to  do  all  the  work  outlined  for  the  project.  Of 
course  the  plan  should  meet  with  the  approval  of  the 
board  of  education  and  of  the  parents  of  the  boys  and 
girls  undertaking  the  project,  and  have  the  hearty 
support  of  the  county  superintendent  of  schools  and  of 
the  teacher.  The  State  Club  Leader  at  the  State  Col- 
lege of  Agriculture  should  be  notified  of  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  club  so  that  he  can  send  enrollment  blanks 
and  all  such  literature  and  publications  as  will  be  help- 
ful in  the  progress  of  the  work. 

2.  Selecting  the  plot.  For  the  corn  growing  project 
we  may  well  begin  operations  in  September  for  the 
next  season's  crop.  The  first  thing  each  pupil  should 
do  after  the  organization  of  the  club  is  to  select  the 
plot  upon  which  he  is  to  grow  his  corn.  Not  less  than 
an  acre  should  be  used  for  this  project.  It  is  to  be 
hoped  that  the  father  will  allow  the  boy  an  acre  of 
good,  well-drained,  fertile  land  upon  which  to  grow 
his  corn. 

ll 


12  CORN  GROWING  PROJECT 

3.  Notebook  records.  Each  pupil  should  keep  a 
neat  and  accurate  record  of  all  operations,  results  and 
accounts,  month  by  month,  on  the  record  pages  pro- 
vided at  the  end  of  this  book,  so  that  when  the  project 
is  completed  the  pupil  will  have  an  agricultural  booklet 
be  will  be  proud  to  exhibit.  Throughout  the  notebook 
work,  pictures  relating  to  the  project  may  be  sketched 
or  pasted  in  as  the  tastes  and  abilities  of  the  pupil 
incline.  From  time  to  time  suggestions  for  the  note- 
book work  will  be  made  in  this  calendar. 

4.  The  corn  plot.  Draw  a  map,  to  scale,  of  your 
proposed  acre  of  corn  ground.  Copy  this  neatly  in  your 
notebook.  Write  the  following  information  regarding 
your  plot  of  land : 

(a)  Location. 

(b)  Type  of  soil:  sandy,  clay,  loam,  upland,  low- 
land, etc. 

(c)  Cropping  and  treatment  of  the  plot  for  the  last 
three  years. 

(d)  Present  conditions  as  to  plant  growth  and 
fertility. 

(e)  Drainage. 

(f)  Estimated  value  of  the  acre  of  land. 

5.  Selecting  seed.  Attention  may  well  be  given  this 
early  in  the  project  to  the  selection  of  the  seed  corn 
for  next  spring.  Send  to  the  various  seed  corn  breed- 
ers of  your  state  for  their  circulars ;  also  to  the  Inter- 
national Harvester  Company  and  to  the  State  College 
of  Agriculture  for  bulletins  on  seed  corn. 

Go  into  the  field  and  study  good  types  of  stalks  and 
ears  from  which  seed  corn  should  be  selected.  (Labo- 
ratory exercises  on  this  subject  may  precede  this  trip.) 
Become  thoroughly  familiar  with  the  ideal  stalk  and 


CORN  PROJECT  CALENDAR 


13 


1.     An  Ideal  Stalk  and  Ear 


14  CORN  GROWING  PROJECT 

ear  which  should  be  selected  when  the  time  for  husking 
the  seed  corn  comes. 


October 

1.  Storing1  seed  corn.  Devices  for  storing  seed  corn 
should  be  planned  and  made  this  month.  Each  pupil 
should  make  definite  provision  for  storing  his  seed 
corn  in  some  of  the  various  types  of  racks  or  devices 
referred  to  under  the  discussion  of  this  project. 

2.  Field  selection  of  seed.  Before  freezing  weather 
or  severe  frosts,  the  seed  corn  to  be  used  in  this  project 
should  be  selected  in  the  field  and  brought  in  for 
drying  and  storing. 

The  only  satisfactory  way  of  selecting  seed  corn  is 
in  the  field  where  one  can  take  into  account  the  whole 
plant.  The  ear  should  be  taken  from  a  leafy  stalk 
that  is  well  developed,  standing  at  proper  distance 
from  other  stalks  and  grown  under  normal  conditions. 
It  should  be  supported  about  midway  up  the  stalk  on 
a  short  shank  inclined  slightly  downward.  Desirable 
ear  characteristics  are  given  in  standard  score  cards. 
Since  the  pupil  is  to  select  for  only  a  small  planting- 
area,  great  care  should  be  taken  to  select  and  store  the 
best  seed  corn  possible.  Determine  the  number  of  ears 
required  to  plant  an  acre  of  corn.  Select  several  times 
this  number  for  storing. 

Dry  cellars,  basements  or  attics,  if  free  from  mice 
and  rats,  may  be  used  for  storing  corn.  The  old  prac- 
tice of  hanging  seed  corn  from  rafters  is  a  good  one 
to  use  until  the  corn  is  finally  stored  for  the  winter. 
Corn  contains  considerable  moisture,  the  germ  is  a 
living  thing,  and  the  vitality  of  the  corn  may  be  seri- 


CORN  PROJECT  CALENDAR  15 

ously  injured  if  it  is  allowed  to  freeze.  Record  in 
notes:  (1)  Amount  of  seed  selected.  (2)  Where 
obtained.     (3)  Variety  of  corn.     (4)  How  stored. 

3.  Soil  treatment  of  the  plot.  Attention  should  be 
given  this  fall  to  the  proper  treatment  of  the  soil  of 
the  plot  to  be  planted.  If  a  clover  crop  has  been  grow- 
ing to  be  plowed  under,  it  would  be  a  great  advantage. 
In  any  case,  an  application  of  five  or  six  tons  of  farm 
manure  should  be  applied  to  the  acre.  Most  soils  are 
deficient  in  phosphorus,  and  there  would  likely  be 
beneficial  results  from  applying  about  one  ton  per 
acre  of  finely  ground  raw  rock  phosphate.  The  whole 
crop's  residue,  clover,  manure,  and  rock  sulphate, 
should  be  plowed  down  this  fall  to  decompose  and 
become  available  for  plant  food  for  the  corn  crop  of 
next  season. 

We  must  be  sure  that  the  soil  is  not  sour.  Get  some 
blue  litmus  paper  at  the  drug  store.  Make  up  a  moist 
ball  of  the  soil  and  insert  the  litmus  paper.  If  after 
five  or  ten  minutes  the  litmus  paper  turns  pink  or  red 
we  have  evidence  that  the  soil  is  acid.  Limestone  cor- 
rects acidity,  and  if  the  soil  of  the  proposed  plot  is 
acid,  from  two  to  three  tons  of  ground  limestone  should 
be  applied  to  the  land  and  disked  in  after  the  fall 
plowing. 

The  pupil  should  keep  a  record  in  his  notebook  of 
all  that  is  done  by  way  of  soil  treatment  on  his  plot. 

(1)  What  crop  residue"  is  present? 

(2)  How  much  manure  applied?    When? 

(3)  How  much  phosphorus  applied?    When? 

(4)  When  the  plot  was  plowed.  Depth.  Was  the 
ground  disked? 

(5)  How  did  you  test  for  acidity?  Was  your  soil 
sour  ? 


16  CORN  GROWING  PROJECT 

(6)  How  much  limestone  applied?    When? 

(7)  Record  hours  of  horse  and  man  labor  necessary. 

November 

1.  Completing"  unfinished  work.  Any  of  the  unfin- 
ished work  of  selecting  and  storing  seed  corn  or  of 
the  preparation  of  the  ground  as  described  for  October 
may  be  finished  in  November.  The  seed  corn  should 
be  stored  in  the  racks  prepared,  out  of  reach  of  rats 
and  mice,  in  a  dry  room  where  dampness  or  freezing 
will  not  occur. 

2.  Practice  in  judging  corn.  Full  directions  for 
scoring  and  judging  corn  are  given  under  the  labora- 
tory exercises  listed  for  this  project. 

3.  Preparation  of  club  exhibits.  Details  for  corn 
exhibits  are  given  in  the  later  discussions  of  the  proj- 
ect. The  class  should  arrange  a  corn  exhibit  in  the 
schoolroom,  even  though  the  corn  for  this  first  year 
of  the  project  was  not  grown  by  the  pupils.  For  the 
second  year  of  the  project  pupils  should  exhibit  their 
own  corn. 

December  and  January 

1,  Class  work  suggestions.  No  practical  work  di- 
rectly relating  to  the  project  is  necessary  these  months. 
Have  recitation  work  based  on  a  study  of  the  market 
prices  and  causes  of  variation;  systems  of  permanent 
soil  fertility;  crop  rotation;  and  the  place  of  corn  in 
systems  of  grain  and  livestock  farming.  Consult  daily 
market  quotations  and  record  prices  of  corn  in  a  table 
prepared  in  the  notebook. 

2.  Class  reports.    Class  recitations  and  study  should 


CORN  PROJECT  CALENDAR  17 

be-  given  to  the  subject-matter  given  under  the  discus- 
sions of  this  project.  Consult  farm  papers,  bulletins, 
and  reference  texts  for  class  reports  on  corn  growing 
and  related  problems,  such  as  soil,  weeds,  insects,  feed- 
ing values,  and  uses  of  corn. 

3.  Laboratory  work.  Laboratory  exercises  given 
for  this  project,  relating  to  the  above  studies,  may  be 
done  these  months. 

February 

1.  Again  to  the  land.  We  may  now  begin  to  turn 
our  attention  more  specifically  to  the  plot  and  the  next 
steps  in  the  production  of  the  acre  of  corn  which  has 
been  planned  since  last  September. 

2.  Signboards.  One  of  the  things  each  member  of 
the  class  or  club  should  do  is  to  make  and  letter  a  sign- 
board to  mark  the  plot  upon  which  the  project  is  to  be 
carried  out.  The  signboard  should  be  12"xl8",  planed 
on  one  side.  It  should  bear  the  name  of  the  local  or 
county  club  preceded  by  the  word  "Member,"  as — 


Member 

Lincoln  County 

Corn  Club 


The  lettering  may  be  done  by  means  of  a  stencil  cut 
from  cardboard.  The  letters  may  be  cut  from  adver- 
tisements or  made  by  some  member  of  the  class.  These 
are  then  laid  on  the  cardboard,  their  outlines  drawn 
with  a  pencil  and  the  letters  cut  out. 

3.  Testing  and  grading  seed  corn.  A  rectangular 
box  seed  corn  tester  and  as  many  other  kinds  of  testers 
as  possibly  can  be  secured  should  be  available  for  this 


18 


CORN  GROWING  PROJECT 


work.  Send  to  your  State  College  of  Agriculture  for 
circulars  of  instruction  on  testing  seed  corn.  Test  for 
germination  at  least  fifty  high  scoring  ears  of  corn 
selected  and  stored  last  fall  in  order  to  discover  the 
twelve  or  fifteen  having  the  most  vigorous  vitality  to 
be  used  for  planting  your  acre.  Record  the  results  of 
your  testing  in  the  notebook. —  (1)  When  tested.  (2) 
How  tested.     (3)  Per  cent  of  good  germination. 


A  Seed  Tester 


March  and  April 


1.  Preparation  of  seed  bed.  If  the  ground  has  not 
been  plowed  last  fall,  the  first  preparation  in  the  spring 
would  be  the  breaking  of  the  ground.  Disking  and 
deep  plowing  would  be  in  order.  If  the  ground  has 
been  broken  last  fall  the  plot  should  be  disked  and 
thoroughly  harrowed  in  the  spring.  A  firm,  deeply 
plowed  sub-surface,  with  a  well-pulverized  surface  soil 
provides  an  ideal  seed  bed.  Record  all  operations  in 
the  notebook. 

(1)  Was  the  ground  plowed  in  the  fall  or  spring? 
Why? 

(2)  How  was  your  seed  bed  prepared? 

(3)  Record  hours  of  man  and  horse  labor  used. 


CORN  PROJECT  CALENDAR  19 

2.  Corn  implements.  Make  a  study  of  the  plows, 
disks,  and  harrows  used  in  these  operations.  Record  in 
your  notes  as  follows: 

Implements  Used  The  Make  Degree  of  Success 

Plow    

Disk    

Harrow     . .  a 

May 

1.  Corn  planting'.  Corn  may  be  planted  from  the 
first  to  the  middle  of  May,  or  even  later.  From  one 
and  one-half  to  three  inches  is  the  depth  to  plant  corn, 
depending  on  the  character  of  the  soil. 

If  the  acre  used  in  this  project  is  a  part  of  a  larger 
field,  the  corn  may  be  planted  by  the  planter  along 
with  the  rest  of  the  field.  If  the  acre  is  apart  from 
other  plantings  the  seed  may  be  drilled  or  even  dropped 
by  hand. 

2.  Notebook  suggestions.  Record  in  the  notebook 
as  follows: 

(a)  When  planted. 

(b)  Method  used. 

(c)  Distance  apart  of  rows  and  corn  in  rows. 

(d)  Amount  of  seed  used. 

(e)  Record  hours  of  man  and  horse  labor  used. 

3.  Book  study.  Study  various  corn  planters  and 
drills.  Write  a  paragraph  in  your  notebook  on  the  ad- 
vantages and  disadvantages  of  each  method  of  planting. 

June  and  July 

1.  Cultivation.  Weeds  are  kept  out  and  the  shal- 
low soil  mulch  maintained  in  proper  cultivation.  Early 
rolling  and  harrowing  before  or  soon  after  the  corn 


20  CORN  GROWING  PROJECT 

comes  up  is  a  good  practice,  facilitating  the  early  con- 
trol of  the  weeds. 

The  soil  should  be  cultivated  as  often  as  is  necessary 
to  maintain  a  loose,  shallow  soil  mulch  and  keep  down 
the  weeds.  Never  allow  the  surface  to  become  baked 
and  hard.  It  should  be  cultivated  as  soon  after  a  rain 
as  it  is  dry  enough  to  work.  Care  should  be  taken  not 
to  cultivate  too  deep.  If  the  roots  of  corn  are  injured, 
the  yield  is  reduced. 

2.  Notebook  suggestions.  Record  in  the  notebook 
diary  as  follows: 

(a)  Was  your  stand  good,  medium  or  poor? 

(b)  What  and  when  was  your  first  cultivation? 

(c)  Was  cultivation  deep  or  shallow? 

(d)  What  implement  was  used? 

(e)  How  many  times  did  you  cultivate? 

(f )  Record  hours  of  man  and  horse  labor  used. 

3.  Insect  injuries.  Observe  and  note  the  insects  in- 
juring the  corn : 

(a)  Name  of  insect, 

(b)  Nature  of  the  injury. 

4.  Weeds.     List  the  weeds  that  were  troublesome. 

5.  Other  injury.  Was  your  corn  damaged  by  any 
other  causes? 

6.  Book  study.  Read  and  study  bulletins,  books 
and  farm  papers  relating  to  corn  production. 

July  and  August 

1.  Cultivation.  Continue  cultivation  to  keep  down 
weeds  and  maintain  the  soil  mulch. 

2.  Summer  observations.  If  the  teacher  or  club 
leader  is  helping  during  the  summer,  frequent  trips  to 
the  plot  should  be  made  by  the  pupil  and  leader  to 
observe  and  discuss : 


CORN  PROJECT  CALENDAR  21 

(a)  Pollination  and  fertilization. 

(b)  Insect  and  fungous  injury. 

(c)  Corn  stand. 

(d)  Probable  causes  of  success  or  failure  in  good 
corn  growth. 

Notebook  records  of  these  observations  should  be 
made.  The  teacher  or  club  leader  should  assist  the 
pupil  in  completing  in  a  full,  neat  and  satisfactory 
way  all  the  records  and  accounts  connected  with  this 
project. 

3.  Club  picnic.  A  club  picnic  should  be  the  closing 
feature  of  the  year's  work. 

4.  Conclusion.  The  concluding  work  in  the  note- 
book should  be  a  story  by  the  pupil  on,  "My  Acre  of 
Corn." 


PART  TWO 

PRACTICAL  EXERCISES 

I.     Study  of  the  Corn  Plant 

Object.  This  exercise  is  to  enable  the  pupil  to  be- 
come familiar  with  the  parts  of  the  corn  plant  and 
their  functions. 

Directions.  Visit  a  corn  field  and  let  each  pupil 
study  the  roots,  stalk,  leaves,  tassels,  and  ears  of  the 
corn.  Observations  should  be  recorded  in  the  project 
notebook,  using  the  following  outline : 

A.  Roots 

1.  Direction  of  growth. 

2.  Relation    between   moisture    in    ground    and 

nearness  of  roots  to  the  surface. 

3.  Effect  of  deep  cultivation. 

4.  Position  and  function  of  brace  roots. 

5.  Show  by  a  drawing  the  development  of  the 

corn  roots. 

B.  Stem 

1.  Division  of  stem  into  parts. 

2.  Position  and  function  of  groove  on  side  of 

stalk.  Study  position  of  leaves  in  this  con- 
nection. Examine  ground  around  the  stalk 
after  a  shower,  if  possible. 

3.  Note  height  and  vigor  of  stalk. 

4.  Make  a  drawing  of  the  stalk. 

22 


PRACTICAL  EXERCISES  23 

C.  Leaves 

1.  Position  and  arrangement  of  leaves. 

2.  Note  wavy  edge  of  leaf.     This  enables  leaf  to 

curl  up.  When  does  this  occur?  Of  what 
use  is  it  to  the  corn  plant  ? 

3.  Trace  the  path  of  the  rain  water  which  falls 

on  the  leaves. 

4.  Show  by  a  drawing  the  arrangement  of  the 

veins  of  a  corn  leaf. 

D.  Tassels 

1.  Note  the  position.    At  one  time  probably  the 

silks  and  tassels  were  together.  Of  what 
advantage  to  the  corn  plant  is  the  present 
position? 

2.  Note  the  small  sacs  containing  pollen.    Make 

a  drawing  of  one. 

E.  Ears 

1.  Note  position  of  ear  on  stalk,  whether  high, 

medium,  or  low. 

2.  Note  angle  it  makes  with  stalk. 

3.  Are  husks  close  or  loose-fitting? 

4.  Number  and  quality  of  ears  on  stalk. 

II.     A  Good  Stalk  from  Which  To  Select  Seed 

Object.  To  bring  out  the  points  which  should  be 
considered  in  connection  with  the  field  selection  of 
seed  corn. 

Directions.  Make  a  study  of  ten  or  twelve  stalks 
of  checked  corn  or  ten  feet  of  drilled  corn,  noting  the 
following  characteristics  of  each  stalk  and  its  ears. 
This  information  is  to  be  recorded  in  a  table  as  follows : 


24  CORN  GROWING  PROJECT 

Hills   or    Stalks 
Character  12       3       4       5       6       7       8 

1.  No.  of  stalks  in  hill 

2.  No.  of  stalks  bearing  ears 

3.  Size    and    vigor    of    stalks 

bearing  ears 

4.  Height  of  ears 

5.  Ears,  drooping  or  erect 

6.  Shanks,  long  or  short 

7.  Ears,   good  shape,   well   de- 

veloped      

Indicate  those  ears  which  would  be  suitable  for  seed 
and  state  your  reasons  for  the  selection. 

III.     Study  of  an  Ear  of  Corn 

Object.  To  learn  the  characteristics  of  a  good  ear 
of  corn. 

Directions.  Each  pupil  should  be  supplied  with  an 
ear  of  corn  and  should  rule  up  and  fill  out  the  follow- 
ing table  in  his  project  notebook : 


1.  Name  of  variety 

2.  Color  of  grain Cob 

3.  Surface,  dent  or  flint 

4.  Rows  of  kernels: 

a.  Number 

b.  Straight  or  twisted 

c.  Close  together  or  wide  apart 

d.  Rows  missing    

5.  Kernels,  firm  or  loose 

6.  Shape  of  ear,  tapering  or  cylindrical 

7.  Butt  of  ear,  even,  shallow  or  deep 

8.  Tip,  exposed  or   covered 

9.  Kernel  shape   (describe  shape  of  majority  of  kernels) 


10.  a.  Length  of  ear 

b.  Circumference  of  ear, 


Discuss  in  class  the  requirements  of  a  good  ear  and 
see  how  near  this  ear  approaches  the  ideal. 


PRACTICAL  EXERCISES  25 

IV.     Study  of  the  Corn  Kernel 

Object.     To  identify  the  parts  of  the  corn  kernel. 

Directions.  Soak  some  grains  of  corn  in  hot  water 
for  twenty  minutes.  Remove  the  tip  cap,  a  small  cap 
covering  the  end  of  the  kernel.  Begin  where  the  tip 
cap  has  been  broken  and  remove  the  hull  in  strips. 
The  part  immediately  under  the  hull,  covering  almost 
all  of  the  kernel  is  called  the  horny  gluten.  Carefully 
shave  it  off  with  a  sharp  knife.  Now  carefully  remove 
the  germ.  Notice  the  size,  position,  and  parts  of  the 
germ.  The  remainder  of  the  kernel  is  starch,  of  which 
there  are  tAvo  kinds,  the  horny  and  the  white  starch. 
The  horny  starch  lies  on  the  back  and  sides  of  the 
kernel.  The  white  starch  occupies  the  crown  end, 
above  the  germ.  Make  an  enlarged  drawing  of  the 
kernel  in  your  notebook,  showing  and  naming  these 
parts. 

V.     Preliminary  Study  to   Corn  Scoring 

Object.  To  become  familiar  with  the  points  of  a 
score  card. 

Directions.  Each  student  should  have  an  ear  of 
corn,  and  tabulate  in  his  notebook  his  observations  on 
the  ear,  as  follows : 

Ideal         Good         Fair        Poor 

Shape  of  ear .> 

Length  of  ear 

Circumference   of   ear 

Tip  of  ear 

Butt  of  ear 

Kernel    uniformity     

Kernel  shape 

Color  in  grain  and  cob 

Space  between  kernels  at  cob 


26  CORN  GROWING  PROJECT 


Space  between   rows 

Vitality  or  seed  condition .... 

Trueness  to  type 

Proportion  of   shelled   corn  to 
cob   


Indicate  with  cross  (X)  opposite  each  point  the 
column  in  which  you  would  place  the  point.  Several 
ears  may  be  used  for  practice,  and  the  exercise 
repeated. 

VI.     Scoring  Practice 

Object.     To  become  proficient  in  scoring  corn. 

Directions.  Provide  each  pupil  with  ten  ears  of 
corn  and  let  him  practice  scoring,  using  the  score  card 
of  your  state.  Each  pupil  should  score  a  half  dozen  or 
more  ten-ear  samples  before  this  exercise  is  passed  by. 

VII.     Study  of  the  Stand 

Object.     To  determine  the  per  cent  of  stand. 

Directions.  Rule  off  a  five  inch  square  in  your  note- 
book and  divide  it  into  twenty-five,  one-inch  squares. 
Let  each  square  represent  a  hill  of  corn.  Mark  off  a 
square  of  twenty-five  hills  of  corn  in  your  plot. 
Record  in  the  notebook  in  the  proper  square  the  number 
of  stalks  of  corn  with  ears,  and  the  number  of  barren 
stalks.  How  many  stalks  in  this  area?  Using  this  as 
a  basis,  determine  the  number  of  stalks  in  the  plot. 
Knowing  the  number  of  grains  planted  per  hill,  esti- 
mate the  number  planted  per  acre.  What  per  cent  is 
the  number  of  stalks  of  the  number  of  grains?  This 
number  represents  the  per  cent  of  stand. 


PRACTICAL  EXERCISES  27 

VIII.     Seed  Corn  Racks 

Object.     To  construct  a  seed  corn  rack. 

Directions.  Construct  a  seed  corn  rack  according 
to  your  own  ideas.  Directions  for  the  use  of  binder- 
twine  and  for  making  a  simple  rack  follow: 

Cut  a  piece  of  binding  twine  12  feet  long;  tie  the 
ends  together  thus  forming  a  loop.  Place  one  end  of 
the  loop  over  the  right  and  the  other  over  the  left 
hand,  holding  the  hands  about  2  feet  apart  and  at 
such  height  that  the  middle  of  the  strands  just  touches 
the  floor.  Place  an  ear  of  corn  in  the  swing  thus 
made,  with  the  strands  4  or  5  inches  apart  under  the 
ear. 

When  the  first  ear  is  in  place,  bring  the  left  hand, 
with  its  strand,  through  the  strings  held  in  the  right 
hand  and  on  under  to  the  elbow  of  the  right  arm,  thus 
crossing  the  strings  over  the  first  ear.  Then  place  the 
second  ear  in  the  crossed  strings  over  the  first  ear; 
withdraw  the  left  hand;  the  strings  will  then  be 
crossed  again  ready  for  the  third  ear.  Repeat  this 
operation  until  the  end  of  the  string  is  reached ;  then 
loop  the  shorter  part  of  the  unused  string  over  the  longer 
one,  leaving  a  loop  by  which  to  hang  the  string  of  corn. 
Let  the  pupils  prepare  a  few  strings  of  corn  to  hang  in 
the  school  room  for  Corn  Day. 

Another  rack  can  be  made  of  strips  of  lath  as 
follows : 

Get  a  bundle  of  plastering  lath,  and  two  boards 
about  4  feet  long  and  5  inches  wide.  Nail  the  lath 
strips  opposite  each  other  on  the  board,  about  3  inches 
apart,  so  that  when  all  are  nailed  on,  the  whole  affair 
will  stand,  supported  by  the  boards  as  end  pieces.  The 
corn  is  then  laid  across  from  one  lath  to  the  other,  thus 


28  CORN  GROWING  PROJECT 

securing  free   circulation  of  air  about  the   ears,   and 
allowing  them  to  be  easily  handled. 

IX.     Seed  Corn  Testers 

Object.     To  test  seed  corn. 

Directions.  Make  a  rag  doll  or  box  tester.  The  fol- 
lowing suggestions  are  offered : 

Rag  Doll.  A  piece  of  muslin,  8  inches  wide  and  4 
feet  long,  will  make  a  tester  for  thirty  ears  of  corn. 
Using  a  blue  or  black  pencil,  not  indelible,  draw  a  line 
down  the  middle  and  other  lines  across,  making  thirty 
21/2-inch  squares.  These  are  numbered  and  thirty  ears 
to  be  tested  are  numbered  accordingly.  This  may  be 
done  by  means  of  bits  of  cardboard  fastened  to  the 
butts  of  the  ears  with  pins. 

Six  kernels  taken  from  different  parts  of  an  ear  are 
placed  germ  side  up,  in  the  square  with  a  number  cor- 
responding. When  all  of  the  squares  are  full,  a 
cylinder  made  by  wiring  together  the  opposite  ends  of 
an  8-inch  square  of  wire  screening,  is  placed  at  one 
end  and  the  tester  rolled  up  on  it.  String  is  tied  at 
each  end  to  keep  the  kernels  in  place.  The  rag  doll 
is  then  immersed  in  warm  water  for  eight  to  ten  hours. 
It  may  then  be  removed,  stood  in  a  pan  of  water  in 
which  the  water  does  not  reach  to  the  kernels  and 
kept  at  a  temperature  of  50°  to  70°  P.  This  provides 
moisture  and  a  circulation  of  the  air. 

Box  Tester.  A  box  of  such  dimensions  as  to  accom- 
modate the  number  of  ears  to  be  tested  may  be  filled 
with  sand,  soil  or  moist  sawdust.  Where  sand  or  soil 
is  used,  the  squares  are  marked  off  on  it.  If  sawdust 
is  used  a  cloth  with  squares  marked  off  on  it  must  be 
placed  over  the  sawdust  and  another  cloth  and  more 


PRACTICAL  EXERCISES  29 

moist  sawdust  over  the  cloth  containing  the  grains. 
A  glass  sash  over  a  large  box  will  assist  in  retaining 
the  moisture.  An  ordinary  chalk  box  can  be  used  to 
test  eight  ears. 

Where  sand  is  used  and  the  box  covered  with  glass, 
the  grains  may  be  lightly  pressed  into  the  soil,  germ 
side  up  and  the  progress  of  the  test  determined  from 
day  to  day  without  disturbing  the  grains. 

In  either  case,  the  grains  are  examined  at  the  end  of 
ten  days  and  those  ears  whose  six  grains  have  not  all 
sprouted  vigorously  are  discarded  for  seed  purposes. 

X.     Shrinkage  in  Corn 

Object.     To  demonstrate  the  shrinkage  of  corn. 

Directions.  Procure  ten  ears  of  corn  from  the  field. 
Husk  and  weigh  them.  Record  the  weight  and  place 
them  in  a  dry,  safe  place.  At  the  same  time  weigh  ten 
ears  of  corn  from  last  year's  crop.  Keep  these  also. 
Weigh  at  intervals  of  two  weeks.  Is  there  a  change 
in  the  weight  of  the  new  corn?  Of  the  old  corn? 
Determine  the  loss  of  weight  and  the  percentage  of 
loss.     This  is  the  shrinkage. 


PART  THREE 

CORN,  THE  GREAT  AMERICAN  CEREAL 

"The  rose  may  bloom  for  England, 

The  lily  for  France  unfold; 
Ireland  may  honor  the  shamrock, 

Scotland  the  thistle  bold; 
But   the   shield   of  the  great   Republic 

The  glory  of  the  West, 
Shall  bear  a  stalk  of  tasseled  corn, 

Of  all  our  wealth  the  best. 

"The  arbutus  and  the  golden  rod 

The  heart  of  the  North  may  cheer, 
And  the  mountain  laurel  for  Maryland 

Its  royal  clusters  may  rear, 
And  the  jasmine  and  magnolia 

The  crest  of  the  South  adorn, 

But   the   wide   Republic's   emblem 

Is  the  bounteous  golden  corn." 

— Edna  Procter. 

I.     History  and  Importance 

Indian  corn.  No  one  knows  all  the  history  of  Indian 
corn,  whose  special  name  is  given  as  maize.  The  name 
itself  contains  a  bit  of  history.  Columbus  found  a 
strange  plant  on  the  island  of  Hayti,  which  the  natives 
called  "mahiz,"  and  from  this  we  have  the  name 
maize. 

The  early  explorers  of  America  found  the  new  corn 
in  the  temperate  regions  of  both  Americas.  We  are 
particularly  interested  in  the  history  of  corn  after  the 

30 


CORN,  THE  GREAT  AMERICAN  CEREAL  31 

discovery  of  America,  because  of  its  importance  as  a 
food  crop  to  the  early  colonists.  John  Fiske,  in  his 
history  of  the  discovery  of  America,  declares  that 
Indian  corn  was  of  "incalculable  advantage  to  the 
English  settlers  of  New  England,  who  would  have 
found  it  much  harder  to  gain  a  secure  foothold  upon 
the  soil  if  they  had  had  to  begin  by  preparing  it  for 
wheat  and  rye  without  the  aid  of  the  beautiful  and 
beneficent  American  plant." 

Importance  of  the  corn  crop.  It  is  not  easy  to 
appreciate  the  importance  of  corn  in  the  agriculture 
of  the  United  States.  Most  people  are  aware  of  the 
fact  that  corn  is  our  principal  grain  crop.  Many  do 
not  know  how  important  it  is  in  comparison  with  other 
grain  crops.  The  following  table  compiled  from  the 
estimates  of  the  Bureau  of  Statistics  of  the  United 
States  Department  of  Agriculture,  will  furnish  a  basis 
for  some  interesting  and  instructive  comparisons  of 
the  relative  importance  of  a  number  of  the  crops  for 
the  year  1910 : 

Production,  Value, 

Crop  Acreage  Bushels  Dec.  1 

Wheat    49,205,000        695,443,000$    621,443,000 

Oats     35,288,000     1,126,765,000        384,716,000 

Barley 7,257,000        162,227,000  93,785,000 

Rye    2,028,000  33,039,000  23,840,000 

Rice 722,800  24,510,000  16,624,000 

Buckwheat   826,000  17,239,000  11,321,000 

Potatoes    3,591,000        338,811,000        187,985,000 


Total    98,917,800     2,398,039,000  $1,339,714,000 

Corn    114,002,000     3,125,713,000  $1,523,968,000 

Thus  it  appears  that,  in  acreage,  production,  and 
value  on  December  1,  the  corn  crop  of  1910  was  greater 
than  all  of  the  other  cereal  grains  plus  the  buckwheat 
and  potatoes. 


32 


CORN  GROWING  PROJECT 
II.     Types  of  Corn 


Dent  and  flint.  In  speaking  of  the  several  types 
and  varieties  of  corn,  most  of  us  use  the  terms  rather 
loosely.  Shoesmith  in  his  ''Study  of  Corn"  describes 
six  types :  The  dent,  the  flint,  soft  corn,  pod  corn, 
sweet  com,  and  pop  corn)*  The  types  with  which 
farmers  of  the  corn  belt  have  most  to  do  are  the  dent 
and  the  flint  corn.  There  are  many  varieties  of  both 
dent  and  flint  types.  The  difference  in  appearance  of 
the  several  types  of  corn  is  due  in  part  to  differences 
in  structure  and  in  part  to  differences  in  composition. 
In  the  dent  type  the  soft  endosperm  appears  white  and 
starchy  at  the  center  and  near  the  crown  of  the  kernel. 
As  the  grain  ripens  this  soft  endosperm  shrinks  more 


3.     Seven  Varieties  of  Corn 

rapidly  than  the  horny  endosperm  which  is  located 
chiefly  at  the  edges  of  the  kernel,  and  the  result  is  the 
folded  or  wrinkled  appearance  of  the  tops  of  the  grains 
of  dent  corn.     In  the  flint  corn,  the  soft  endosperm  in 


*A  new  type,  the  branch  corn,  has  been  developed  but  as  yet 
has  no  commercial  significance. 


CORN,  THE  GREAT  AMERICAN  CEREAL  33 

the  center  of  the  grain  is  surrounded  by  the  horny 
endosperm,  so  that  the  ripening  grain  shrinks  almost 
uniformly,  leaving  a  smooth  shining  surface. 

Varieties.  Some  standard  varieties  in  the  corn  belt 
are :  Boone  County  White,  Funk 's  Yellow  Dent,  Learn- 
ing, Minnesota "  No.  13,  Reid's  Yellow  Dent,  Silver 
Mine,  Silver  King  (Wisconsin  No.  7),  and  Johnson 
County  White.  Descriptions  of  these  and  other  varie- 
ties are  fully  given  in  Shoesmith's  "Study  of  Corn," 
and  Bowman  and  Crossley's  "Corn." 

III.     Life  History  of  the  Corn  Plant 

The  life  cycle.  Every  living  'thing  has  a  life  history 
— a  beginning,  a  growing,  possibly  a  reproduction,  and 
a  death.  So  it  is  with  the  corn  plant.  We  may  begin 
at  any  place  in  a  cycle,  but  in  the  case  of  corn  we  shall 
begin  with  the  seed.  The  young  corn  plant  is  already 
well  started  in  the  seed.  It  has  a  stem  and  leaf-end, 
embedded  in  a  cotyledon  containing  food  for  the  young 
plant  as  soon  as  conditions  are  right  for  it  to  continue 
its  growth.  We  make  these  conditions  right  when  we 
plant  the  kernel  of  corn  in  the  soil.  Here  the  moisture, 
warmth,  and  air  cause  the  young  plant  in  the  cotyledon 
to  begin  to  grow.  This  growth  consists  in  putting  out 
roots  into  the  soil,  pushing  up  a  roll  of  leaves  into  the 
light  and  air,  and  using  up  the  food  in  the  kernel. 

When  the  roots  are  established  in  the  soil  and  the 
leaves  are  unfolded  in  the  air,  then  the  plant  begins  to 
feed  upon  the  mineral  food  elements  in  solution  in  the 
soil  and  the  carbon  dioxide  gas  of  the  air,  and  to  com- 
bine these  food  elements  into  compounds  to  be  assimi- 
lated by  the  growing  roots,  stems,  leaves,  flowers  and 
grain  during  the  summer.     At  the  tip  of  the  corn  stalk 


34  CORN  GROWING  PROJECT 

the  tassel  containing  millions  of  pollen  spores  develops, 
and  on  the  side  of  the  stalk  the  ear  develops,  each  ker- 
nel of  which  sends  out  a  long  hollow  silk  thread  to  the 
end  of  the  husks,  where  they  appear  in  a  beautiful  yel- 
low mass.  The  pollen  must  fall  upon  the  silk,  one  spore 
upon  the  end  of  each  silk,  in  which  it  grows  a  long  tube 
reaching  down  the  silk  to  the  corn  kernel  at  the  cob. 
This  fertilizes  or  gives  life  to  the  seed  and  the  young  corn 
plant  begins  to  grow  in  the  kernel  and  continues  to  grow 
until  the  kernel  is  matured.  The  old  corn  plant  then  dies 
and  all  that  is  left  alive  is  the  germs  or  new  corn  plants 
embedded  in  each  kernel  of  the  ripened  ear  of  corn, 
ready  to  germinate  and  continue  the  life  history  another 
year  as  described  above. 

IV.     The  Corn  Plant 

Corn,  a  grass.  All  of  the  cereal  grains  except  buck- 
wheat belong  to  the  family  of  grasses.  Corn  is  a  very 
wonderful  grass.  Until  the  tenth  of  May,  or  some 
time  later,  the  corn  plant  is  snugly  folded  within  the 
kernel.  From  seven  to  fourteen  days  after  the  kernel 
is  planted  the  young  shoot  pushes  its  tip  out  of  the 
ground,  and  begins  to  be  a  real  plant — a  growing  thing 
with  roots  in  the  ground  and  green  leaves  spreading 
out  in  the  air.  In  another  hundred  days,  or  even  less, 
the  corn  may  be  in  the  shock.  What  has  happened 
meanwhile  1 

Corn  roots.  First,  the  corn  plant  had  to  develop  and 
extend  its  root  system  deep  and  wide  in  the  ground. 
It  has  been  shown  that  in  thirty  days  after  planting 
the  roots  of  corn  plants  in  adjacent  rows  meet  and 
interlace.  They  fill  the  whole  surface  of  the  corn  field 
with  a  network  of  roots,  and  in  many  cases  these  roots 


CORN,  THE  GREAT  AMERICAN  CEREAL  35 

extend  several  feet  downward.  While  the  roots  are 
reaching  everywhere  in  the  surface  soil,  the  stalks  are 
reaching  upward  and  spreading  out  their  broad  blades 
to  the  sun  and  air.  A  corn  stalk  in  the  growing  season 
contains  a  large  amount  of  water.  The  water  drawn 
from  the  soil  by  the  roots  is  mixed  and  combined  with 
the  carbon  taken  in  from  the  air  by  the  leaves,  making 
plant  food  out  of  raw  elements  of  earth  and  air  for  the 
growth  of  the  plant. 

Leaves  and  blossoms.  The  corn  plant  does  more 
than  grow  tall  and  strong.  It  prepares  for  storms  by 
its  system  of  brace-roots.  It  hangs  its  broad  leaves 
in  such  a  way  that  the  wind  may  bend  them  and  toss 
them  with  little  danger  of  breaking  them;  the  leaves 
are  many,  broad  and  long  in  order  to  give  the  corn 
plant  enough  feeding  surface  exposed  to  the  sun  and 
air.  The  corn  plant  has  a  wonderful  contrivance  for 
producing  its  fruit,  as  explained  in  a  former  para- 
graph. Silk  and  tassel  are  the  flowers  of  the  corn 
plant.  Every  future  grain  on  the  ear  is  at  the  lower 
end  of  a  long  thread  of  silk;  but  the  grain  can  not 
develop  until  a  particle  of  pollen  from  some  tassel 
falls  upon  its  tip  and  grows  down  the  silk  to  fertilize 
the  seed. 

During  its  short  growing  season  the  corn  plant  may 
grow  to  a  height  of  from  six  to  fifteen  feet  and  produce 
an  ear  or  more  of  corn.  A  good  ear  of  corn  may  con- 
tain a  thousand  or  more  kernels. 

V.    Place  of  Corn  in  Crop  Rotation 

Reasons  for  rotation.  At  the  basis  of  all  successful 
farming  is  an  intelligent  practice  of  crop  rotation. 
Early  in  our  study  of  corn,  therefore,  it  is  well  to 
learn  its  place  in  systems  of  crop  rotation. 


36  CORN  GROWING  PROJECT 

A  few  of  the  special  reasons  for  the  rotation  of 
crops  are  as  follows : 

1.  Different  crops  make  different  demands  on  the 
soil.  The  grain  crops  are  able  to  use  a  large  part  of 
the  available  phosphorus  and  potassium  of  the  soil, 
but  less  of  its  nitrogen;  therefore  it  is  well  to  follow 
the  grains  with  crops  which  use  nitrogen  more  effect- 
ively without  making  such  great  demands  upon  the 
phosphorus  and  potassium  supply. 

2.  Koot  systems  differ.  The  small  grains  are  shal- 
low-rooted, and  so  use  the  fertility  from  the  surface 
portion  of  the  soil.  Other  crops,  such  as  clover  and 
alfalfa  send  their  roots  deep  into  the  soil,  and  so  secure 
plant  food  that  is  out  of  reach  of  such  crops  as  wheat 
and  oats.  Besides,  clover,  alfalfa,  and  other  legumi- 
nous crops  when  plowed  under,  leave  the  soil  richer  in 
nitrogen  than  they  find  it,  thus  making  it  ready  for 
crops  of  a  different  character. 

3.  The  culture  of  one  crop  prepares  for  a  succeed- 
ing crop  of  a  particular  kind.  It  is  common  in  the 
wheat  sections  to  follow  corn  with  wheat  because  sum- 
mer cultivation  of  corn  makes  it  possible  to  sow  the 
wheat  without  plowing.  Besides,  the  well-tilled  corn 
ground  enables  the  wheat  to  get  a  good  start  in  the 
fall,  and  to  make  use  of  a  considerable  part  of  the 
plant  food  made  available  by  weathering  during  the 
fall,  winter,  and  spring. 

4.  The  farmer  who  has  a  well-planned  system  of 
rotation  is  able  to  make  better  and  more  continuous 
use  of  his  own  time  and  of  the  labor  of  his  men  and 
teams. 

Corn  in  systems  of  rotation.  Rotation  of  crops  will 
not  in  any  sense  add  to  the  fertility  of  the  soil,  unless 
in  the  rotation  a  legume  crop  be  returned  to  the  soil. 


CORN,  THE  GREAT  AMERICAN  CEREAL  37 

In  this  way  only  nitrogen  is  added.  In  connection 
with  the  following  rotations,  discussion  will  be  made 
later  as  to  the  place  of  mineral  plant  foods  in  keeping 
up  soil  fertility. 

For  a  system  of  crop  rotation  in  grain  farming,  the 
following  scheme  is  advised: 

(1)  "Wheat,  (2)  corn,  (3)  oats,  (4)  clover,  and  (5) 
one-fifth  the  land  in  alfalfa,  to  be  turned  into  the  rota- 
tion after  five  years  and  another  one-fifth  seeded  to 
alfalfa.  Sell  all  grains,  seed,  and  alfalfa  hay,  and 
return  the  rest  to  the  soil,  using  limestone  and  rock 
phosphate. 

For  a  system  of  rotation  in  live-stock  farming,  the 
following  is  recommended: 

(1)  Corn,  (2)  corn,  (3)  oats,  (4)  clover,  and  (5) 
alfalfa  as  before.  Feed  all  the  crops  and  return  the 
manure  to  the  soil,  using  limestone  and  rock  phosphate. 

VI.     Fertilizing  Corn  Ground 

Corn  not  a  poor  land  crop.  It  needs  to  be  repeated 
again  and  again  that  corn  can  not  be  profitably  raised 
on  poor  land.  It  costs  as  much  to  plow  and  otherwise 
prepare  poor  land  for  a  crop  of  corn  as  it  does  to  pre- 
pare good  land;  the  subsequent  cultivation  is  just  as 
expensive,  and  every  step  in  the  progress  of  raising  a 
poor  crop  from  poor  land  is  practically  as  costly  as 
every  similar  step  in  producing  a  good  crop  from  good 
land.  Year  after  year  some  men  raise  corn  on  land  so 
poor  that,  with  the  best  cultivation,  only  a  small  crop 
can  be  raised  and  this  always  without  profit.  Why 
not  bring  the  land  up  to  the  condition  which  will  make 
it  permanently  profitable? 

Soil  upon  which  corn  is  to  be  grown  often  responds 


38   *  CORN  GROWING  PROJECT 

with  increased  yields  through  crop  rotation,  the  grow- 
ing of  clover,  even  though  it  be  removed,  and  the  use 
of  complete  commercial  fertilizers,  but  these  methods 
do  not  provide  for  permanent  soil  fertility,  nor  do  they 
always  return  a  profit  on  the  investment. 

Permanent  soil  fertility.  There  is  a  difference  be- 
tween adding  complete  commercial  fertilizer  even 
though  increased  crop  yields  result,  and  the  mainte- 
nance of  permanent  soil  fertility  at  a  lesser  annual 
yield.  It  is  to  be  correctly  inferred  from  the  above 
that  the  use  of  complete  commercial  fertilizers  does 
not  maintain  permanent  soil  fertility,  and  no  one  can 
deny  that  we  should  keep  a  permanent  if  not  an 
increasing  soil  fertility. 

How  can  this  be  done,  is  the  practical  question  to 
raise.  How  can  we  feed  the  corn  and  keep  the  soil 
fertile  ?  To  begin  at  the  beginning,  let  us  take  a  typi- 
cal Middle  West  acre.  The  first  requirement  is  that 
the  soil  shall  be  well  drained.  The  next  is  that  it 
shall  have  plenty  of  active  organic  matter,  such  as 
crop  residue,  manures  and  clover  in  process  of  decay. 
If  clover  or  other  legumes  will  not  grow  well  to  fur- 
nish this  organic  matter,  perhaps  the  soil  is  sour  and 
needs  from  two  to  five  tons  of  ground  limestone  to  the 
acre.  The  next  important  requisite  is  the  nitrogen 
supply  in  the  soil.  This  is  best  supplied  by  the  clovers 
which  also  furnish  the  organic  matter.  To  get  the 
addition  of  nitrogen  the  clover  must  be  plowed  under. 
The  next  requisite  in  most  soils  is  the  maintenance  of 
an  adequate  phosphorus  supply.  This  is  most  eco- 
nomically supplied  by  the  use  of  from  one  to  three 
tons  of  fine-ground  rock  phosphate  to  the  acre.  This 
must  always  be  applied,  however,  to  the  clover  which 
i j  to  be  turned  under,  or  with  manure  or  other  organic 


CORN,  THE  GREAT  AMERICAN  CEREAL 


39 


40  CORN  GROWING  PROJECT 

matter  incorporated  in  the  soil,  for  the  decaying  of 
the  organic  matter  sets  free  mild  acids  which  help  to 
dissolve  the  phosphorus  in  the  rock  phosphate  and 
make  it  available  for  plant  food.  This  decaying 
organic  matter  also  renders  available  the  potassium 
which  in  normal  soils  is  present  in  sufficient  quantities 
to  supply  standard  yields.  This  method  of  supplying 
plant  food  to  the  soil  in  connection  with  good  systems 
of  crop  rotation  not  only  increases  the  annual  yields 
of  each  crop  in  the  rotation,  but  leaves  the  soil  per- 
manently richer  in  plant  food,  after  the  single  appli- 
cations described  above  have  been  made  and  the  four  or 
five  crops  of  the  rotation  have  been  produced. 

Plan  of  soil  treatment,  the  corn  series.  The  follow- 
ing is  the  general  plan  of  .soil  treatment  for  ten  plots 
in  each  of  a  series  of  five  at  the  University  of  Illinois. 
The  figures  show  the  yields  of. corn  in  one  season: 

Plot  No.  Soil  Treatment  Corn  Yield 

1.  None 60 

2.  Legume  ( catch  crops  and  crop  residues ) 60 

3.  Manure 75 

4.  Legume,  lime    65 

5.  Manure,  lime    80 

6.  Legume,  lime,  phosphorus 87 

7.  Manure,  lime,  phosphorus   90 

8.  Legume,  lime,  phosphorus,  potassium    90 

9.  Manure,  lime,  phosphorus,  potassium    93 

10.       Legume     (manure,    lime,    phosphorus,    potas- 
sium, X5 )  *   96 

*Five  times  the  amounts  used  in  9  were  applied. 

VII.     Plowing  for  Corn 

Time  of  plowing.  The  time  of  plowing  for  corn 
will  usually  be  determined  by  the  convenience  of  the 
farmer.  It  is  pretty  well  established  that  the  differ- 
ences in  yield  on  land  plowed  in  the  fall  and  similar 


CORN,  THE  GREAT  AMERICAN  CEREAL  41 

land  plowed  early  in  the  spring  are  very  slight.  Sticky 
clay  land  should  not  be  plowed  when  it  is  so  wet  as. 
to  slip  off  the  moldboard  in  a  shiny  condition.  Land 
that  is  likely  to  waslj  because  of  steep  hillsides,  or 
other  conditions,  should  be  plowed  late  in  the  winter 
rather  than  early,  especially  if  it  is  protected  by  a 
cover-crop. 

Purpose  of  plowing.  One  purpose  of  plowing  is  to 
enable  the  land  to  store  water ;  another  is  to  enable  it 
to  retain  water.  Fall  plowing  provides  for  the  storage 
of  water  in  the  soil ;  spring  plowing  provides  for  its 
retention.  But  this  qualification  needs  to  be  added — 
that  spring  plowing  is  likely  to  hasten  the  evaporation 
of  soil  moisture  unless  the  plow  is  almost  immediately 
followed  by  the  harrow.  Water  escapes  very  rapidly 
from  the  surface  of  a  newly  plowed  field.  Following 
the  plow  with  the  harrow  while  the  surface  soil  is 
still  fresh  reduces  the  exposed  surface  and  so  retards 
evaporation.  It  also  retards  the  rise  of  the  water  from 
the  subsoil,  thus  retaining  it  where  the  plant  roots  will 
need  it  during  the  growing  season.  Another  purpose 
of  plowing  is  to  open  up  and  make  available  larger 
feeding  areas  for  the  plant  roots. 

Depth  of  plowing.  The  depth  of  plowing  for  corn 
will  be  determined  largely  by  the  depth  of  previous 
plowings.  It  is  not  wise  to  turn  a  large  amount  of  raw 
subsoil  up  to  the  surface.  Usually  it  is  well  to  bring  a 
small  amount  of  new  soil  under  the  direct  influence  of 
sun  and  rain,  thus  preparing  it  to  be  useful  to  subse- 
quent crops.  It  is  to  be  remembered  that  it  is  the 
mellowed  soil  that  contributes  most  to  the  growth  of 
plants.  Other  influences  have  much  to  do  with  deter- 
mining the  proper  depth  of  plowing  for  corn.  If  the 
ground  is  plowed  in  the  fall,  it  may  be  safe  to  plow  an 


42  CORN  GROWING  PROJECT 

inch  or  more  deeper  than  it  would  be  wise  to  plow  the 
same  ground  in  the  spring.  The  frosts  and  freezes  of 
winter  will  do  much  to  mellow  and  "tame"  the  soil 
that  has  never  been  exposed  to  the  more  active  weath- 
ering influences.  ' 

If  much  organic  matter  is  to  be  plowed  under,  that 
should  be  done  in  the  fall,  in  order  to  give  it  time  to 
decay  before  the  spring  crop  is  planted. 

Preparation  of  seed  bed.  Broadly  speaking,  every- 
thing done  to  the  soil  is  a  part  of  the  work  of  pre- 
paring the  bed  for  the  seed  to  be  sown  or  planted. 
Plowing  and  fertilizing  the  ground  are  steps  inTRe 
preparation  of  the  seed  bed,  but  we  must  be  con- 
cerned here  with  the  immediate  preparation  of  the  soil 
to  receive  the  seed.  The  use  of  the  harrow  after  the 
land  has  been  ploAved  for  corn  is  the  simplest  method 
of  preparing  for  planting.  On  land  plowed  in  the  fall 
or  early  winter,  it  is  advisable  to  go  over  the  ground 
once  or  twice  with  the  disk  or  cutaway  harrow,  before 
using  the  smoothing  harrow;  and  in  many  cases  the 
roller  or  wooden  drag  may  follow  the  other  imple- 
ments with  profit.  A  modern  implement  known  as  the 
"culti-packer"  seems  to  make  ideal  seed  bed  prepara- 
tion, since  it  both  packs  and  mulches  the  soil.  Finally, 
after  the  corn  has  been  planted,  further  preparation 
of  the  soil  for  the  growing  corn  may  be  made  by  going 
over  it  once  or  twice  with  the  smoothing  harrow.  A 
seed  bed  in  perfect  condition  to  give  the  corn  plants 
the  best  kind  of  start  is  almost  equivalent  to  a  guar- 
antee of  a  good  crop. 

VIII.     Testing  Seed  Corn 

Will  the  corn  grow?  The  farmer  plants  corn  in  the 
belief  that  it  will  grow.     Why  should  not  every  kernel 


CORN,  THE  GREAT  AMERICAN  CEREAL  43 

sprout  and  produce  a  good  stalk  to  bear  a  good  ear? 
Perhaps  it  would  if  every  condition  is  made  right.  The 
kernel  itself  is  the  first  essential ;  it  ought  to  be  in  per- 
fect growing  condition.  The  corn  judge  or  the  man 
selecting  seed  from  the  crib  can  not  make  a  germinat- 
ing test,  he  must  be  guided  by  appearances.  What  are 
some  of  the  signs  that  corn  will  grow? 

If  the  ear  is  firm  in  the  hands,  the  kernels  tight  in 
their  places,  and  no  evidence  of  decay  seen  at  the  butt, 
it  may  be  supposed  that  the  corn  is  matured  and  well 
developed.  The  kernels  should  be  hard  and  dry  and 
without  dullness  of  color;  they  should  be  of  a  fairly 
large  and  regular  size,  with  large  and  healthy  germs, 
and  there  should  be  no  sign  of  mold.  The  tips  of 
vigorous  kernels  are  never  thin  and  shrunken.  There 
should  be  freedom  from  cracks  and  blisters,  and  tip 
caps  should  completely  cover  the  tips  of  the  shelled 
kernels.  The  cob  should  be  dry,  firm,  and  bright  col- 
ored. A  damp  moldy  cob  indicates  weakness  in  the 
germ,  and  it  may  mean  that  the  germs  are  already 
dead. 

The  germination  test.  The  final  proof  that  the  corn 
will  grow  is  the  germination  test.  The  man  who  risks 
a  large  share  of  his  year's  labor  in  his  corn  field  ought 
to  be  perfectly  sure  that  his  seed  is  good ;  the  actual 
sprouting  of  a  few  grains  from  every  ear  will  make 
him  perfectly  sure.  (See  methods  of  testing,  page  28.) 
Results  of  test.  If  any  ear  of  corn  shows  less  than 
perfect  germination  in  every  kernel  taken,  that  ear 
should  be  discarded.  It  is  not  safe  to  plant  seed  from 
an  ear  that  shows  any  weak  or  dead  kernels.  Per- 
haps the  simplest  and  most  important  lesson  to  get 
from  this  study  is  that  no  one  should  plant  corn  that 
is  not  known  by  actual  and  careful  test  to  be  in  per- 


44  CORN  GROWING  PROJECT 

feet  germinating  condition.  If  seed  corn  has  to  be 
bought,  it  should  be  bought  in  the  ear  so  that  the  pur- 
chaser may  know  what  his  corn  is  and  may  test  it  for 
himself. 

IX.     Planting  the  Corn 

Time  to  plant.  Early  planting  is  generally  advised, 
but  corn  is  a  warm  weather  plant.  It  will  not  ger- 
minate until  the  soil  has  become  warmer  than  is  neces- 
sary for  the  growth  of  peas,  oats,  and  certain  other 
hardy  plants. 

Distance  in  planting.  The  distance  between  rows  is 
usually  a  matter  of  custom  growing  out  of  local  experi- 
ence. Forty-four  inches  is  a  common  distance.  If  the 
corn  is  planted  with  a  check-row  planter  it  may  be 
planted  forty-four  inches  each  way.  When  corn  is 
drilled,  the  distance  between  rows  is  sometimes  three 
feet  and  six  inches.  When  planted  in  hills,  and  the 
seed  is  good,  three  kernels  to  the  hill  will  produce  the 
desired  number  of  stalks. 

Depth  of  planting.  The  depth  of  planting  should 
depend  on  the  season  and  the  kind  of  soil  and  its 
condition.  If  the  corn  is  planted  early,  while  the  soil 
is  comparatively  cold,  shallow  planting  is  to  be  recom- 
mended. When  the  soil  has  become  warm  and  mel- 
low, deeper  planting  may  be  safely  done.  It  should 
be  remembered  that  corn  kernels  will  not  sprout  un- 
less they  get  sufficient  moisture,  and  at  the  surface  of 
a  dry  soil  there  may  not  be  enough  moisture  to  cause 
prompt  germination. 

X.     Cultivating  Corn 

Purposes  of  tillage.  Tillage  breaks  up  the  soil,  mak- 
ing possible  the  free  movement  of  air  and  moisture. 


CORN,  THE  GREAT  AMERICAN  CEREAL  45 

It  mellows  and  pulverizes  the  soil,  thus  promoting  the 
processes  that  increase  the  availability  of  the  plant- 
food  materials.  It  promotes  the  warming  of  the  earth. 
It  destroys  weeds. 

First  cultivation  important.  This  first  cultivation 
of  the  corn  may  be  done  with  a  two-horse  double- 
shovel  cultivator.  Whatever  implement  is  used  should 
be  supplied  with  fenders  to  keep  the  young  plants  from 
being  covered  or  broken  by  the  earth  thrown  against 

them. 

The  importance  of  this  first  cultivation  can  hardly 
be  over-emphasized.  It  should  not  be  done  when  the 
ground  is  too  wet ;  it  should  not  be  put  off  until  the 
weeds  begin  to  smother  the  corn  plants.  Many  a  corn 
crop  has  been  reduced  in  yield  from  a  fourth  to  a  half 
by  neglecting  to  use  the  right  implement  in  the  right 
way  at  the  right  time. 

Every  man  ought  to  be  so  familiar  with  his  own  soil 
and  its  condition  that  he  can  judge  the  right  time  to 
cultivate  by  looking  at  it,  by  walking  over  it,  and  by 
feeling  of  it  with  his  fingers.  If  the  ground  is  too  wet, 
there  is  danger  that  serious  harm  will  be  done  by  the 
cultivator ;  if  it  is  allowed  to  get  too  dry,  there  will  be 
great  loss  of  moisture  due  to  evaporation  and  the 
growth  of  weeds. 

Shallow  cultivation.  Much  damage  is  done  to  corn 
every  year  by  too  deep  cultivation.  By  the  time  corn 
is  a  foot  high,  it  will  not  be  possible  to  give  it  deep 
cultivation  without  breaking  off  many  of  the  roots. 
This  will  give  the  corn  a  serious  set-back. 

With  the  plowing  well  done  in  fall  or  winter  or 
early  spring;  with  thorough  preparation  of  the  seed 
bed  by  the  use  of  disk  or  cutaway  and  smoothing  har- 
row and  roller  or  plank  drag;  with  one  fairly  deep 


46 


CORN  GROWING  PROJECT 


cultivation  well  and  carefully 
done,  it  is  easy  to  do  the  work 
that  will  ordinarily  assure  a 
good  crop  of  corn  on  fairly 
rich  land.  The  subsequent 
cultivation  should  be  shallow, 
in  fact  some  growers  advocate 
merely  scraping  the  surface 
of  the  ground  to  destroy 
weeds  and  provide  a  soil 
mulch. 

The  soil  mulch.  By  the 
use  of  the  right  kind  of  im- 
plements and  a  knowledge  of 
the  principles  of  tillage,  the 
farmer  keeps  the  soil  in 
proper  condition  and  pre- 
vents the  growth  of  weeds.  If 
a  hard  crust  is  formed  on  the 
surface  of  the  soil  by  the 
dashing  rains  of  summer,  the 
soil  water  rapidly  comes  to 
the  surface  and  is  evaporated 
by  the  sun  and  wind.  The 
farmer  wants  to  have  this 
water  escape  from  the  soil 
through  the  corn  plants,  giv- 
ing up  on  the  way  the  plant 
food  it  has  dissolved  out  of 
the  soil.  He  therefore  breaks 
up  the  crust  of  earth  and 
saves  the  moisture  for  the 
corn  crop.  The  moisture  from  the  deeper  soil  gathers 
below  the  mulch  about  the  roots  of  the  corn  where  it 


5.     An  Ideal  Ear 


CORN,  THE  GREAT  AMERICAN  CEREAL  47 

can  be  utilized.  If  weeds  are  allowed  to  grow  they  will 
be  sure  to  get  their  share  of  this  moisture,  thus  robbing 
the  corn. 

XI.     Maturing  of  Corn 

Corn  should  mature.  To  be  reasonably  satisfactory 
for  general  use,  corn  must  also  get  ripe.  We  want  the 
corn  to  use  the  entire  growing  and  ripening  season; 
but  we  do  not  want  it  to  be  of  a  kind  that  needs  two 
weeks  more  of  growing  weather  than  our  climate  can 
furnish.     We  want  corn  that  will  mature. 

Large  ears  and  maturity.  The  common  disposition 
of  farmers  to  select  large  ears  has  had  a  tendency  to 
produce  a  strain  of  corn  requiring  a  long  season — a 
season  longer  than  can  be  depended  Upon  year  after 
year;  and  so  it  often  happens  that,  with  a  late  spring 
or  an  early  fall,  or  both,  a  large  share  of  the  corn  does 
not  get  ripe.  When  cut  before  it  matures,  it  is  so 
full  of  water  that  it  can  not  dry  out  before  freezing 
weather.  The  result  is  that  the  frost  kills  or  weakens 
the  germs  of  the  unripe  corn,  making  it  unfit  for  seed. 
Another  effect  of  the  imperfect  ripening  is  seen  in  the 
many  cribs  of  moldy  corn.  Whenever  there  is  a  large 
proportion  of  soft  corn,  there  is  great  danger  that 
there  will  be  heating  and  subsequent  molding  in  the 
crib. 

Where  to  get  seed.  The  fact  needs  frequent  empha- 
sis that  it  is  not  wise  to  bring  seed  corn  from  a  dis- 
tance. The  corn  plant  has  a  tendency  to  adapt  itself 
to  the  length  of  the  season;  but  this  adaptation  does 
not  come  about  in  a  single  season.  The  best  practice 
is  to  plant  home-grown  seed  from  soil  similar  to  the 
soil  in  which  it  is  to  be  planted.     If  good  seed  can  not 


48  CORN  GROWING  PROJECT 

be  had  from  near  home,  the  grower  will  do  well  to 
send  for  seed  grown  where  the  season  is  shorter  rather 
than  longer  than  his  own. 

XII.     Selecting  Seed  Corn  in  the  Field 

Value  of  good  seed.  The  importance  of  selecting 
good  seed  corn  and  taking  good  care  of  it  cannot  be 
over-estimated.  Experiments  have  shown  that  well- 
bred  and  carefully  selected  seed  corn,  of  a  type  suited 
to  the  soil  and  climate  where  it  is  to  be  used,  will 
increase  the  yield  from  10  to  50  per  cent.  Rich  soil 
and  good  culture  are  important  factors  in  producing  a 
large  crop  of  corn,  but  good  seed  will  add  considerably 
to  the  yield. 

Field  selection.  To  get  the  best  seed  corn  it  should 
be  selected  in  the  field  after  it  has  matured,  and  while 
the  character  of  the  parent  stalk  can  be  seen.  It  is  a 
well-known  law  of  life  that  "like  begets  like,"  and  in 
the  case  of  corn,  each  kernel  selected  for  seed  will  tend 
to  produce  a  stalk  and  ear  like  the  one  from  which  it 
came.  Now  there  are  certain  desirable  characteris- 
tics of  the  stalk  of  corn,  which  can  not  be  seen  except 
by  careful  field  selection. 

There  should  be  a  large  leaf  growth.  The  stalk 
should  be  strong  and  vigorous,  medium  size,  strong  at 
the  base  with  good  brace  roots  and  tapering  gradually 
to  the  tassel.  It  should  stand  up  well  and  bear  its  ear 
at  a  convenient  height  for  husking.  The  shank  of  the 
ear  should  be  of  medium  length  allowing  the  ear  to 
turn  down  slightly.  A  short  shank  holds  the  ear  too 
erect.  Ears  on  long  shanks  or  too  high  on  the  stalk 
are  more  likely  to  pull  down  the  stalk  in  a  wind  storm, 
besides  being  inconvenient  to  husk.    The  ears  selected 


CORN,  THE  GREAT  AMERICAN  CEREAL  49 


50  CORN  GROWING  PROJECT 

should  be  well  developed,  with  straight  rows,  and 
kernels  of  "uniform  size.  Ears  should  be  selected  and 
husked  before  the  early  frost  injures  them  for  seed. 
Expert  plant  breeders  have  selected  seed  corn  for 
various  characteristics  and  raised  up  new  and  dif- 
ferent strains  from  the  same  seed.  This  shows  that 
it  is  possible  to  select  seed  and  thus  improve  the 
strain  from  the  old  stock. 

XIII.     Judging  and  Scoring  Corn 

Corn  judging.  The  object  of  corn  judging  is  to 
determine  the  corn  of  highest  quality,  either  for 
feeding  or  market,  which  is  consequently  most  profit- 
able to  grow.  The  study  of  the  desirable  char- 
acteristics of  seed  corn  has  led  to  the  formation  of  a 
standard  scale  of  points  or  "corn  score  card."  By 
the  use  of  the  score  card,  the  judge  or  student  can 
keep  in  mind  the  relative  merits  of  the  points  in  a 
sample  of  corn,  and  compare  the  ears  he  is  judging 
with  the  ideal  standard. 

In  selecting  corn  for  seed  or  for  exhibition,  probably 
the  best  method  is  to  place  the  ears  from  a  bushel  of 
selected  corn  upon  a  table  with  the  butts  of  the  ears 
toward  you.  Select  the  most  nearly  perfect  ear  you 
can  find,  one  which  comes  the  nearest  to  the  ideal 
type.  Then  select  other  ones  resembling  the  first  one — 
ten  in  all. 

The  score  card.  The  score  card  is  a  device  to  help 
the  judge  or  student  to  make  intelligent  comparisons 
of  sample  ears  with  the  ideal  type.  The  characteristics 
of  the  ear  are  listed  and  the  perfect  grade  for  each  is 
given.  The  student  must  judge  how  nearly  the  sam- 
ple being  scored  compares  to  the  perfect  grade  under 


CORN,  THE  GREAT  AMERICAN  CEREAL 


51 


each  point.  In  judging  corn,  ten  ears  usually  consti- 
tute an  exhibit  sample.  It  is  desirable  that  samples 
be  laid  out  side  by  side  on  a  table  where  a  good  light 
may  be  had. 

Caution.  For  practical  work  in  corn  scoring  the 
teacher  should  provide  score  cards  used  and  recom- 
mended by  the  Agricultural  College  of  the  state  in 
which  the  work  is  being  done.  It  is  not  advisable  to 
give  more  attention  and  study  to  scoring  corn  than  to 
its  production.  It  is  yield  we  want,  rather  than  fancy 
ears,  and  this  characteristic  is  often  inherent  in  ears 
of  indifferent  appearance. 


n   m 


Corn  Rack 


XIV.     Storing  Seed  Corn 

Essentials  of  careful  storing.  The  proper  storing  of 
seed  corn  after  selection  is  perhaps  of  equal  importance 
to  the  matter  of  selection.  The  ears  should  be  taken 
when  mature  on  the  stalk  and  hung  or  laid  in  dry, 
well-ventilated  places  and  kept  perfectly  dry  and  cool 


52 


CORN  GROWING  PROJECT 


until  planting  time  the  next  season.  It  must  be  remem- 
bered that  the  seed  is  a  living  thing  and  is  injured  by 
freezing. 

Value  of  careful  storage.  An  Ohio  Extension  Bul- 
letin reports  as  follows:  " Samples  of  seed  corn  were 
taken  from  over  100  different  farms  in  all  parts  of  the 
state,  and  germination  tests  made  of  the  corn  to  deter- 
mine its  vitality,  careful  record  being  kept,  as  far  as 
possible,  of  the  method  of  storing  and  caring  for  seed 
corn." 

The  following  table  will  give  the  results  as  shown 
by  this  preliminary  work: 

Range  of    Average 

Germi-      Germi- 

Number    nation,      nation,  Vigor  of 

Tested  Per  Cent    Per  Cent  Plants 

Taken  from  ordinary  crib 40         55-100         85  Poor 

Stored  in  good  dry  place  with 
plenty  of  air  currents,  but  no 
artificial  heat,  as  on  shelves 
in  cribs,  above  wagon  sheds, 

hung  by  wires,  strings,  etc..  62  72-100  90.3  Good 
Stored  in  attics,  empty  rooms 
in  houses,  furnace  rooms,  etc. 
Some  artificial  heat  furnished 
but  not  always  a  free  circu- 
lation of  air 11         85-100         93.3         Good 


It  was  also  shown  in  these  Ohio  experiments  that 
seed  corn  from  varieties  that  are  well  adapted  to  local 
.  climatic  conditions,  is  less  difficult  to  care  for  than  from 
large,  late-maturing  strains. 

"A  bushel  of  seed  corn  will  plant  seven  acres  which 
at  fifty  bushels  per  acre  should  yield  350  bushels.  It 
will  be  seen,  according  to  the  figures  shown,  that  one 
bushel  of  the  corn  which  had  been  well  cared  for,  pro- 
duces 5  per  cent  more  stalks  than  the  seed  not  properly 


CORN,  THE  GREAT  AMERICAN  CEREAL  53 

stored.  Not  taking  into  consideration  the  difference 
in  the  vigor  of  the  plants,  this  would  make  a  differ- 
ence of  seventeen  and  one-half  bushels  in  favor  of  the 
bushel  of  seed  that  had  been  carefully  handled.' ' 

Methods  of  storing  seed  corn.  There  are  many  meth- 
ods of  storing  seed  corn,  but  in  all  cases,  the  place  of 
storing  must  be  dry  and  well  ventilated.  It  should 
never  be  put  in  boxes,  barrels  or  sacks.  The  attic  or 
an  empty  room  upstairs  in  the  house,  if  it  is  not  too 
warm  and  close,  is  a  good  place  for  storing  while  the 
corn  is  still  moist.  The  barn  and  crib  are  suitable 
places  for  storing,  if  there  is  time  enough  for  the  ears 
to  become  thoroughly  dry  before  freezing  weather.  If 
thoroughly  dry  and  surrounded  by  dry  atmosphere, 
seed  corn  will  stand  very  cold  weather. 

No  matter  where  stored,  the  ears  should  be  either  hung 
up  or  placed  on  racks  made  of  narrow  strips  with  spaces 
between  and  in  all  cases  kept  out  of  reach  of  rats,  mice 
and  chickens. 

XV.     Some  Insects  Injurious  to  Corn 

The  corn  root-louse.  Corn  attacked  by  this  insect 
becomes  dwarfed,  the  leaves  turn  red  and  yellow,  and 
there  is  general  lack  of  vigor.  The  root-louse  is  a 
small  insect,  bluish-green  in  color,  oval  in  form,  with 
two  short  slender  tubes  projecting  from  the  back  part 
of  the  abdomen.  Root-lice  are  nearly  always  accom- 
panied by  ants,  and  the  farmer  who  sees  the  ants 
about  the  roots  of  his  corn,  is  likely  to  lay  the  blame 
of  his  sickly  crop  to  them  rather  than  to  the  root-lice, 
the  real  pests.  The  ants,  however,  are  indirectly 
responsible  for  the  root-louse  injury,  as  they  care  for 
the  eggs  of  the  louse  during  the  winter  and  bring  the 


54 


CORN  GROWING  PROJECT 


young  lice  to  the  roots  of  the  young  smart-weeds  early 
in  the  spring. 

About  the  first  of  May  the  second  generation  of  lice 
appears,  and  the  little  brown  ants  transfer  them  to  the 
roots  of  the  young  corn  plants.  During  the  summer 
the  lice  continue  breeding  with  great  rapidity,  all  the 
while  sucking  the  juice  from  the  young  roots  of  the 
growing  corn.  About  the  middle  of  September  the 
last  brood  of  females  begin  to  lay  eggs  for  the  winter. 
These  females  are  usually  carried  by  the  ants  to  their 
nests,  Avhere  the  eggs  are  laid. 


8.     Root-Louse 


Eotation  of  crops,  proper  fertilization  of  the  soil, 
deep  fall  plowing,  or  early  spring  plowing,  followed 
by  repeated  deep  disking  to  destroy  the  ants'  nests, 
are  some  of  the  successful  methods  of  combating  the 
corn  root-louse. 

The  chinch  bug.  The  great  arch  enemy  of  the  corn 
crop  in  many  sections  is  the  chinch  bug.  This  insect 
is  about  one-tenth  of  an  inch  long  and  does  its 
work  of  injury  by  sucking  the  juice  from  the 
stalks  of  the  growing  corn,  completely  destroying 
whole  fields.  The  insect  goes  into  winter  quarters  as 
an  adult  bug,  and  there  remains  until  the  warm  weather 
of    the    next    April    or   May.    It    is    hidden    away    at 


CORN,  THE  GREAT  AMERICAN  CEREAL  55 

the  roots  of  various  grasses,  and  in  accumulations  of 
weeds,  leaves  and  other  rubbish.  Many  of  them  may  be 
destroyed,  by  burning  such  rubbish  and  grass.  The 
bugs  that  live  through  the  winter  come  out  in  the 
spring  and  spread  over  the  country  on  the  wing, 
settling  in  fields  of  wheat,  early  oats,  or  other  grasses, 
and  in  these  lay  their  eggs  for  the  first  generation  of 
the  year.  The  young  hatching  from  these  eggs  injure 
the  crop  in  which  they  find  themselves.  Later,  at 
wheat  harvest  time,  being  only  partly  grown,  they 
move  out  of  infested  wheat  fields  on  foot  into  other 
fields  of  grain,  especially  of  corn,  where  if  the  season 
favors  them  a  second  generation  will  be  bred  to  the 
enormous  injury  of  the  infested  crops. 


ft 
9.    Chinch  Bug 

The  successful  combating  of  chinch  bugs  is  a  com- 
munity affair.  Every  farmer  who  has  chinch  bugs  on 
his  place  should  clean  up  and  burn  all  trash  which 
would  harbor  them  during  the  winter.  In  the  sum- 
mer the  farmers  of  the  community  should  all  cooperate 
in  throwing  crude  oil  lines  about  their  corn  fields  to 


56  CORX  GROWING  PROJECT 

catch  the  bugs  as  they  migrate  from  the  wheat  to  the 
corn. 

The  corn  ear-worm.  The  corn  ear-worm  injures  the 
ears  of  corn  and  is  a  serious  pest  especially  to  sugar 
corn.  In  the  South  this  same  insect  is  known  as  the 
cotton  boll-worm,  from  its  habit  of  boring  into  the  boll 
of  the  cotton. 

In  our  latitude  the  first  broods  of  the  moths  appear 
in  May  and  deposit  their  eggs  on  corn  or  other  food 
plants.  The  second  or  third  broods  lay  their  eggs  in 
the  silks  or  tassels  of  the  corn.  The  young  worms 
hatch  in  three  or  four  days  and  begin  feeding  upon 
the  silks  of  the  corn.  In  a  few  days  they  get  into  the 
tips  of  the  young  ears.  Each  worm  may  feed  upon 
several  ears,  and  when  full  grown  the  worms  leave 
the  ear  and  go  into  the  ground  where  they  make  little 
cells  and  in  these  transform  to  pupae.  In  about  two 
weeks  the  next  brood  of  moths  appears.  There  are  two 
or  three  broods  in  a  year. 

The  pest  is  very  difficult  to  combat.  Since  the  pupae 
of  the  last  brood  hibernate  in  the  ground  during  the 
winter,  many  of  them  may  be  killed  by  deep,  late  fall 
plowing.  The  time  of  planting  should  be  taken  into 
consideration ;  since  the  moths  prefer  to  lay  their  eggs 
on  the  silks,  the  corn  which  is  in  silk  when  the  moths 
emerge  from  the  ground  will  be  most  seriously  injured. 
Early  planted  corn  is  less  liable  to  injury  from  this 
source. 

XVI.     Corn  Products 

The  stalk.  Many  new  uses  have  lately  arisen  for 
corn,  in  addition  to  the  well  known  and  standard  pur- 
poses this  cereal  has  long  served.  Pith  from  corn 
stalks  has  lately  been  utilized  as  a  packing  for  battle- 


CORN,  THE  GREAT  AMERICAN  CEREAL  57 

ships.  The  production  of  cellulose,  high  explosives, 
varnishes,  etc.,  are  recent  uses  of  pith,  and  in  the 
manufacture  the  outer  shell  and  leaves  of  the  stalk 
are  left  as  by-products.  These  are  finely  ground  up 
and  put  on  the  market  as  the  "New  Corn  Product," 
which  is  used  as  a  stock  food.  The  crude  stalk  has 
the  well-known  uses  as  fodder,  ensilage,  etc.,  as  stock 
food.  A  cheap  grade  of  paper  can  be  made  from  the 
pulp  of  the  corn  stalk.  Denatured  alcohol  and  various 
food  extracts  are  also  being  made  from  corn  stalks. 


10.    Club  Group 

The  corn  kernel.  Besides  the  common  uses  of  the 
kernel  as  food  for  man  and  beast,  there  are  about 
thirty  products  made  from  it:  Six  kinds  of  mixing 
glucose,  used  by  refiners  of  table  syrups,  brewers,  leather 
manufacturers,  jelly  makers,  fruit  preservers,  and 
apothecaries;  four  kinds  of  crystal  glucose,  used  by 
confectioners ;  two  kinds  of  grape  sugar,  used  by  brewers 
and  tanners;  pearl  starch,  used  by  paper  and  cotton 


58  CORN  GROWING  PROJECT 

f acturers ;  fluorine,  used  by  flour  mixers ;  dextrine,  used 
by  fine  fabric,  paper  box,  mucilage  and  glue  manufac- 
turers ;  corn-oil,  used  by  table  oil  mixers,  lubricating  oil 
mixers,  manufacturers  of  fibre,  shade  cloth,  paint,  and 
similar  industries  where  vegetable  oils  are  employed; 
corn-ail  cakes,  used  for  cattle  feeding  purposes;  rubber 
substitute,  used  in  the  place  of  crude  rubber;  corn 
germs,  from  which  oil  and  cake  are  made ;  British  gum, 
a  starch  which  makes  a  very  adhesive  medium;  distilled 
spirits,  used  in  the  manufacture  of  smokeless  powder; 
alcohol  for  commercial  purposes;  corn  down^  the  brown 
outer  coating  next  the  cob,  used  in  the  manufacture  of 
mattresses. 

The  cob.  Even  the  cobs,  besides  the  emergency  use 
as  corks,  are  utilized  in  the  manufacture  of  pipes,  and 
as  a  fuel,  in  the  great  corn  belt.  The  ashes  of  cobs  are 
easily  convertible  into  a  commercial  potash. 


NOTEBOOK  QUESTIONS 

1.  Why  is  corn  sometimes  called  Indian  corn  or 
maize  ? 

2.  How  does  corn  rank  in  acreage,  production  and 
value  with  other  farm  crops  of  the  United  States? 

3.  The  corn  crop  for  the  last  five  years  in  the 
United  States  has  been  over  2,500,000,000  bushels  a 
year.  How  much  is  that  for  each  person  in  the  United 
States? 

4.  How  much  corn  was  grown  in  your  state  last 
year?  What  was  the  average  yield  per  acre?  (See  the 
Year  Book  of  the  Department  of  Agriculture,  Wash- 
ington, D.  C.  The  school  may  obtain  a  copy  through 
the  congressman  of  the  district.) 

5.  What  are  the  parts  of  a  kernel  of  corn? 

6.  What  are  the  conditions  for  the  germination 
of  seed  corn? 

7.  Where  does  the  corn  plant  bear  its  blossoms  ? 

8.  A  plot  of  ground  at  the  University  of  Illinois 
has  been  in  corn  for  thirty-five  years.  The  yield  is 
now  about  twenty-five  bushels  per  acre.  What  does 
this  show? 

9.  What  do  the  farmers  in  your  locality  do  to 
fertilize  their  corn  ground? 

10.  In  a  system  of  srop  rotation,  including  corn, 
oats,  wheat  and  clover,  a  farmer  desiring  to  establish 
permanent  soil  improvement  applies  two  tons  of  ground 
limestone  per  acre  to  his  clover  field  in  the  fall,  and  a 

59 


60  CORN  GROWING  PROJECT 

ton  of  finely  ground  rock  sulphate  in  the  spring, 
before  turning  under  the  clover  for  corn.  The  lime- 
stone cost  $1.50  per  ton  and  the  rock  phosphate  $7.50 
per  ton.  His  corn  yield,  as  shown  by  check  plots,  was 
five  bushels  more  per  acre  the  first  season,  and  twenty- 
five  bushels  more  the  fifth  season;  the  oats  increased 
twenty-five  bushels,  the  wheat  fourteen  bushels,  and 
the  clover  one  ton  per  acre.  Estimating  the  expense 
of  applying  the  limestone  and  rock  phosphate  at  50 
cents  per  ton,  what  did  he  gain  on  the  investment  at 
the  prevailing  prices  of  grain  and  hay? 
.  11.  A  farmer  turned  under  a  heavy  clover  crop  in 
the  spring  of  1913  and  planted  the  field  to  corn.  The 
corn  germinated  and  grew  well  for  a  few  weeks,  then 
dried  up  and  died.     Explain. 

12.  What  is  the  purpose  of  the  germinating  test? 

13.  If  an  ear  of.  corn  has-  800  kernels  and  each  kernel 
should  be  planted  and  grow,  producing  ears  that  weighed 
12  ounces  each,  how  much  should  that  ear  of  corn  be 
worth,  estimating  its  value  from  the  yield  at  50  cents 
a  bushel? 

14.  What  is  the  meaning  of  the  term  "tillage"? 
Name  six  values  of  tillage. 

15.  What  should  fre  done  at  the  first  cultivation  of 
corn?     Why  is  this  cultivation  so  important? 

16.  Speak  of  the  value  of  shallow  cultivation  as 
compared  to  deep  cultivation  of  corn. 

17.  What  harm  results  from  weeds  in  the  corn? 

18.  Why  is  it  best  to  use  home-grown  seed? 

19.  Name  some  characteristics  of  the  parent  plant 
that  are  carried  by  the  seed  to  the  next  generation. 

20.  Why  is  it  best  to  select  seed  corn  in  the  field? 
When  should  this  be  done? 


APPENDIX 

A  Model  Constitution  for  Boys'  and  Girls'  Clubs1 

CONSTITUTION 

Article  I.     The  name  of  this  organization  shall  be  the 

Club. 

(School,   township,   county,   etc.) 
Article  II.     The  object  of  this  club  is  to  increase  the  agricultural, 

educational,  and  social  advantages  of 

(Name  of  geographical  unit) 
through  home  projects,  entertainments,  lectures,  fairs,  ex- 
hibits, etc. 

Article  III.     All  boys  and  girls  living  in 

(Geographical  unit) 
between  the  ages  of   10   and   18  years   shall   be  eligible  for 

membership. 
Article  IV.     Sec.   1.     The  officers  of  this  club  shall  consist  of  a 

president,  a  vice-president,  a  secretary,  and  a  treasurer. 
Sec.  2.     A  majority  vote  shall   constitute  an  election. 
Article  V.     Roberts'  Rules  of  Order  shall  govern  the  meetings  of 

the  club. 
Article  VI.     The  order  of  business  for  all  regular  meetings  shall 

be  as  follows: 

1.  Call  to  order. 

2.  Roll  call. 

3.  Reading  of  minutes  of  last  meeting. 

4.  Addition  or  corrections  to  the  minutes. 

5.  Reports   of   committees. 

6.  Old  business. 

7.  New  business. 

8.  Considering  new  names  for  membership. 

9.  Literary   program. 

10.  Recreation  or  refreshments. 

11.  Adjournment. 

Article  VII.     Committees  for  special  purposes  may  be  appointed 
by  the  president  at  any  time. 


1  Credit   is   due   Mr.    E.    C.    Lindemann,    State    Club  Leader    of 
Michigan,  for  this  material. 

61 


62  CORN  GROWING  PROJECT 

BY-LAWS 

Article  I.     The    chib    motto    shall    be    "To    make    the    BEST, 

B  E  T  T  E  R,"  and  the  club  emblem  shall  be  a  four-leaf  clover 

bearing  an  H  on  each  leaf. 
Article  II.     The  officers  shall  be  elected  by  ballot  at  the  annual 

election  in of  each  year. 

(Month) 
Article  III.     The  regular  meeting  of  the  club  shall  take  place  at 

on  the 

a    .-  ,       (Name  of  building)                                (Day  of  the  month) 
Article  IV.     Sec.  1.     A  quorum  shall  consist  of 


...  ,        ..        .  „        ,   ,  (Usually  two-thirds) 

of  the  membership  of  the  club. 

Sec.  2.     This  constitution  may  be  amended  by  a  vote  of 

of  the  members  present  at 

(Two-thirds) 
any  regular  meeting. 


PARLIAMENTARY   PRACTICE:    HINTS   AND  SUGGESTIONS 


a.  Always  address  the  president  as  Mr.  or  Miss  President. 

b.  All  remarks  should  be  addressed  to  the  president. 

c.  There  should  be  no  talking  between  members. 

d.  The  president  should  recognize  the  person  who  seeks  the 
floor  by  saying:      "Mr.   or   Miss " 

.     ...  (Person's  name) 

e.  I  his  indicates  that  the  person  thus  recognized  has  the  privi- 
lege of  speaking   (of  the  floor)   and  must  not  be  interrupted. 

/.  The  only  interruptions  allowable  are  (1)  a  call  for  a  point 
of  order,  or   (2)  a  question. 

g.  A  point  of  order  applies  to  a  member  who  has  made  a 
motion  which  is  out  of  order  because  of  another  motion  before 
the  meeting,  or  to  a  member  whose  remarks  are  not  on  the  subject 
under  consideration,  or  to  a  person  who  is  exceeding  the  time  limit 
for  discussion,  etc.     A  point  of  order  is  executed  as  follows: 

Member  rising  while  another  is  speaking:  "Mr.  President,  I 
rise  to  a  point  of  order." 

The  president  will  then  recognize  the  speaker  as  follows: 
"^ir ,  please  state  your  point  of  order." 

Member    who    has    interrupted    speaker:      "Mr.    President,    the 

speaker,    Mr ,    is    out    of    order    because    his 

(Interrupted  member's  name) 
remarks  are  not  on  the  subject  under  consideration   (or  is  out  of 
order  because  there  is  another  motion  before  the  meeting)." 


APPENDIX  63 

President:  "The  chair  decides  that  the  point  is  (or  is  not) 
well  taken." 

Whereupon  the  interrupted  speaker  takes  his  seat  or  makes 
an  appeal  from   the  decision  of  the  chair  as  follows: 

Interrupted  speaker:  "Mr.  President,  I  appeal  from  the  deci- 
sion of  the  chair." 

President:     "Mr appeals  from  the  decision 

of  the  chair.  As  many  as  are  in  favor  of  sustaining  the  decision 
of  the  chair  will  make  manifest  by  saying  'Aye;'  contrary- 
minded,  'No.'" 

The  motion  is    (or  is  not)   carried. 

If  the  motion  is  carried,  and  the  decision  of  the  chair  is  thus 
sustained,,  the  interrupted  speaker  has  no  further  recourse  and 
must  take  his  seat.  If,  however,  the  motion  is  lost  and  the 
decision  of  the  chair  is  not  sustained,  the  speaker  may  continue 
to  speak. 

Question.  The  speaker  may  be  interrupted  by  any  member  for 
the  purpose  of  asking  a  question.  This  question  may  be  one  of 
personal  privilege  or  may  be  for  the  purpose  of  gaining  informa- 
tion about  the  subject  under  discussion.  The  execution  of  ,this 
motion  may  proceed  as  follows: 

Member  taking  floor  while  another  member  is  speaking:  "Mr. 
President,  I  rise  to  a  question  of  information." 

Presiding  officer :     "State  your  question." 

Member:     "Do  I  understand  the  speaker  to  mean  that 

etc.?" 

The  speaker  then  proceeds  to  give  the  information  desired,  and 
the  meeting  proceeds. 

In  case  of  a  question  of  personal  privilege  the  process  is  as 
follows: 

Member,  rising  and  interrupting  speaker:  "Mr.  President,  I 
rise  to  a  question  of  personal  privilege." 

Presiding  officer:     "State  your  question." 

Member:  "Mr.  President,  this  room  is  too  warm  for  comfort, 
and  I  therefore  ask  to  have  the  windows  opened." 

In  either  case  the  presiding  officer  may  rule  for  or  against  the 
person  asking  the  question. 

DUTIES  OF  OFFICERS 

The  President 

1.  Calls  the  meetings  to  order. 

2.  Announces  the  order  of  business. 

3.  Puts  all  questions  and  motions. 


64  CORN  GROWING  PROJECT 

4.  Decides  points  of  order. 

5.  Decides   the  votes. 

6.  Calls  another  member  to  the  chair  if  he  or  she  wishes  to 

take  part  in  the  debate. 
The  Vice-President 

1.     Performs  all  the  duties  of  the  president  in  case  he  or  she 
is  absent. 
The  Secretary 

1.  Keeps  the  minutes  of  all  meetings. 

2.  Handles  all  correspondence. 

3.  Sends  or  posts  notices  for  meetings. 

4.  Reads  the  minutes  of  the  previous  meetings. 

5.  Acts  as  chairman  in  case  both  president  and  vice-president 

are  absent. 
The  Treasurer 

1.  Collects  all  dues  and  moneys. 

2.  Keeps  an  account  of  all  moneys  collected  and  paid  out. 

3.  Pays  bills  when  ordered  by  the  president  or  secretary. 

References  on  Corn 

U.  S.   Department  of  Agriculture,  Washington,  D.  C. 

Farmers'  Bui.  253  Germination  of  Seed  Corn. 

Farmers'  Bui.  298  Food  Value  of  Corn  and  Corn  Products. 

Farmers'  Bui.  313  Harvesting  and  Storing  of  Corn. 

Farmers'  Bui.  414  Corn  Cultivation. 
Farmers'  Bui.  415  Seed   Corn. 

Farmers'  Bui.  537  How  to  Grow  an  Acre  of  Corn. 

Books 

Corn. — Bowman  &  Crossley. 
The  Corn  Crops. — Montgomery. 
The  Corn  Lady.— Fields. 


The  Home  Project  Notebook 

Motto:  To  make  the  best  better 
CORN  GROWING  PROJECT  RECORD 

Year 

Name    

P.  O Box Route 

County  

Name  of  Club 

School  Dist.  No 

Teacher    

Club  Leader 


The  student  is  urged  to  answer  all  questions,  make  all 
records,  and  describe  all  operations  called  for  in  the 
calendar  of  the  monthly  activities  in  the  proper  place 
in  this  notebook. 


G5 


66  1.  Farm  Plan 

Draw  on  this  page  the  plan  of  your  farm.  Show  the  location  of 
the  home,  main  fences,  use  of  each  field  this  year,  and  location  of 
your  corn  plat. 


2.  Size  of  Corn  Plat  67 

Length rods        Width rods 

Area square  rods  or acres 

3.  Seed  Corn  Record 


SPRING 

Variety   of    corn    planted 

Where  was  seed  grown  ? 

Did  you  test  the  seed  ? 

Per  cent  of  germination 

Date  of  planting 

How  planted    ( checkrowed,  or  drilled)  ? 

Where  planted   (upland,  slope,  or  valley)  ? 

Kind  of  soil   (sandy,  loam,  or  clayey) 

Condition  of  ground   (fall  or  spring  plowed,  or  disked) 
Crop  on  this  field  last  year 


FALL 

Date  of  harvesting  seed Quantity bu. 

Where  and  how  stored  for  drying? 

Date   tested Per    cent 


68 


Record  of  Work 


Each  time  any  work  is  done  on  your  corn  crop,  make  a  record 
of  it  below.  Begin  this  record  with  the  first  work  done  in  getting 
the  ground  ready  for  this  year's  corn  crop.  Use  one  line  for  each 
kind  of  work.     Make  the  record  the  day  the  work  is  done. 

Value  your  time  at  10c  an  hour  and  record  same.  Value  all 
help  at  17c.     Value  all  horse  labor  at  10c  an  hour. 


Kind  of  Work 

Hours 

Value  of  Time 

Date 

Value 

per 

Hour 

Total 

i 



1              | 

Total  carried  forward 

Record  of  Work 


69 


Kind  of  Work 

Hours 

Value  of  Time 

Date 

Value 

per 
Hour 

Total 



70 


Record  of  Work 


Kind  of  Work 

Hours 

Value  of  Time 

Date 

Value 

per 
Hour 

Total 

i 





Record  of  Work 


71 


Kind  of  Work 

Hours 

Value  of  Time 

Date 

Value 

per 
Hour 

Total 

72 


Supplies 


Record  here  the  value  of  fertilizer  and  seed  corn  used  on  your 
plat,  and  any  other  expense  not  shown  in  record  of  work. 


Date 

Material 

Cost 

| 

1 

i 

Total 


Record  of  Yield 


73 


This  record  is  for  your  whole  corn  plat.  Enter  separately  each 
load  or  part  of  a  load  with  the  date  on  which  same  is  husked. 
Include  seed  corn  selected  and  husked  before  frost. 


Date 


Bushels 


Date 


Bushels 


Date 


Bushels 


Total  yield bushels.     Cost  of  husking  at  4c  per  bushel  $ . 


74        Record  of  Seed  Corn  Sold 


Date 

To  Whom  Sold 

Quan- 
tity 

Price 

Amt.  of  Sale 

1 



1 

1 

Total  Sales   

1 

Record  of  Seed  Corn  Sold 


75 


Date 

To  Whom  Sold 

Quan- 
tity 

Price 

Amt.  of  Sale 

Total   Sales    

76  Rainfall  Record 

To  be  used  if  you  have  a  rain  gauge  at  home. 


Date         Inches 


How  Long  Raining? 


Summary 


77 


A — RECEIPTS 
SOLD 


Seed  corn    

Corn    (fed  or  sold) 


.bu.  @ 

.  bu.  (a> 


ON  HAND 


Seed   corn 
Corn   .... 


bu.  @ 

( Estimated ) 


.  .bu.  @ 

(Market  value) 


Total  bu 

Total  value  of  corn  produced 

B — EXPENDITURES 

Rent   of  land   at  5   per   cent   on  fair 
valuation    


bu 


or  landlord's  share  of  crop .  . 

Total   cost  of  supplies 

Hired  labor  @   17c  per  hr.  .  . 

Horse  labor  @  10c  per  hr 

Total  Expense 

C — PROFIT 

Total  value  of  products 

(Subtract)   Total  expense 

Labor  income   

(Subtract)   Labor  @   10  per  hr. 

Profit  or  loss 

D COST   OF   PRODUCTION 

.Total    expense divided   by   total   yield equals   $ 

cost  of  production  per  bushel. 

E RATE  OF  YIELD 

sq.  rods 

Area  or  number  of  rows  harvested  and  measured or  rows 

Yield  from  such  area  or  rows bu- 

bu. 

bu. 


Total  yield  for  the  plat. 
Rate  of  yield  per  acre . . 


78 


Visitors  to  Corn  Plat 


Let  each  person  outside  your  home  family  who  visits  your  corn 
plat  record  his  name. 


Date 


Name 


How  I  Grew  My  Corn  79 


80  Miscellaneous  Notes  and  Remarks 


